The Before Path
on purpose.
A private, structured premarital experience for couples who want to understand their patterns, make clearer decisions, and begin marriage with intention.
Most couples spend months planning the wedding and very little time talking about the marriage.
I created the Before Path as a calm, private space for the two of you to say what usually goes unsaid, understand each other more fully, and decide together how you want to live. You don’t need to have it figured out. You only need to be willing to begin.
Couples who want to prepare on purpose.
The Before Path is for two people who are committed to each other and want to bring the same care to their marriage that they bring to their wedding.
If either of you is in crisis, or you are looking for treatment of a mental health condition, a licensed therapist is the right support. The difference is explained further down this page.
- You are engaged, or planning to be, and want a real conversation about what comes next.
- You want more than generic advice or a last-minute checklist.
- You want to understand each other more deeply, as individuals and as a couple.
- You want a neutral guide who helps you both be heard and takes no one’s side.
- You would rather build practical agreements now than sort out surprises later.
From planning a wedding
to preparing for a marriage.
A wedding is a day. A marriage is the life you build after it. The Before Path gives the two of you dedicated time to understand each other more deeply, as individuals and as a couple, and to decide how you want to live together.
Look beyond the wedding day.
The day deserves your care. So does the life that follows it: the home you will run, the traditions you will keep, and the ordinary days in between.
Know each other more fully.
Understand how each of you thinks, communicates, and approaches life, and what shapes the way you each show up.
Put your expectations into words.
Money, roles, family time, and intimacy are easier to build together once each of you has said aloud what you hope for.
Choose what you carry forward.
Decide which traditions, values, and habits from the households you came from you want to bring into your own.
Preparing early gives you room to build your marriage on purpose.
Built around the two of you,
not a standard curriculum.
Many premarital programs follow a predetermined curriculum. The Before Path begins with your relationship, your assessment results, and the conversations that matter most to the two of you.
A standardized premarital program
The Before Path
A predetermined curriculum.
Your own assessment results.
Often fit in shortly before the wedding.
Structured, with room to reflect and decide.
Topics and exercises set in advance.
Open conversation that follows what matters to the two of you.
General guidance for every couple.
A neutral guide. No scoring, no sides taken.
Completion of the program.
Clarity and, where possible, agreements you can live by.
Eight areas that shape daily married life.
We spend the most time where your results show it matters most to the two of you.
Communication
How you each share needs, listen, and handle what goes unsaid.
Conflict and repair
What happens when you disagree, and how you find your way back to each other.
Family influence
How the families you came from shape expectations, boundaries, and traditions.
Roles
Who does what, who decides what, and how you want your home to run.
Finances
How you each think about money, spending, saving, and shared decisions.
Intimacy
Closeness, affection, and physical intimacy, and what each of you expects.
Values
What you each hold important, and how it shows up in everyday choices.
Decisions ahead
Children, home, work, and the larger plans you want to make together.
For couples who desire it, conversations may also incorporate Christian faith, values, and the meaning they want those commitments to hold in their marriage.
Your starting point:
the SYMBIS assessment.
SYMBIS stands for Save Your Marriage Before It Starts. It is a research-based premarital assessment created by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, and I am a certified SYMBIS Facilitator.
Each of you answers the questionnaire privately. Your responses inform a personalized report that helps identify strengths, differences, and areas worth exploring together.
It does not grade your relationship or predict whether it will last. It gives us a shared, specific place to begin.
- You each complete it privately, on your own schedule.
- Your responses inform a personalized report.
- We review it together in session.
- Your conversations follow what it shows.
Patterns are inherited.
Your marriage is chosen.
The Choice Framework is how we turn what you learn into what you decide. Each stage builds on the one before it.
Notice
Name the patterns each of you brings: how you communicate, handle conflict, and respond under stress.
Understand
Explore where those patterns come from, including family and upbringing, so your differences make sense.
Decide
Choose together what to keep, what to change, and what to build, in plain and specific terms.
Practice
Turn your agreements into daily habits, with a plan to revisit them as life changes.
A structured path with a clear beginning and end.
Everything listed is part of the experience, so you always know what you are working toward.
Investment. Program and investment details are provided privately after you inquire and before your consultation.
- A private consultation to talk through your goals and confirm the fit.
- The SYMBIS assessment for each of you, with your combined report.
- Eight guided sessions with me, built around your results.
- Practical tools and exercises to use between sessions.
- A shared framework for the agreements and decisions you make together.
Structured, and paced around your life.
Sessions generally occur weekly or every other week, and both partners attend each one. Scheduling is built around your work, family, and wedding timeline. Additional sessions may be scheduled separately if needed.
What you can reasonably expect.
Preparation does not guarantee an outcome. This work will not predict whether your marriage will last, and it will not resolve every difference. It gives you clarity, language, and agreements to build from.
- A clearer picture of how each of you thinks, communicates, and responds.
- Shared language for conflict and repair.
- Greater clarity, and where possible shared agreements, around money, roles, family, and daily life.
- A shared framework for the agreements and decisions you make together.
- A way to keep talking about all of it after the wedding.
If this sounds like the two of you,
the next step is small.
A short inquiry is all it takes. Nothing is decided until you have the details in front of you.
What this is, and what it isn’t.
This is
- Non-clinical premarital consulting.
- Structured, educational, and forward-looking.
- Focused on understanding, communication, and practical decisions.
- Led by a certified SYMBIS Facilitator with a master’s degree in psychology.
This isn’t
- Therapy or psychotherapy.
- Medical care.
- A diagnosis or treatment of any condition.
- Crisis support.
If either of you is looking for treatment, a licensed therapist is the right support, and I am glad to explain the difference during your inquiry. If you are in crisis or need immediate emotional support, call or text 988. More support is on our crisis resources page.
Questions couples ask.
What happens after I inquire?
I reply within two business days. You will receive program and investment details privately, and if you would like to continue, we schedule a consultation to talk through your goals and confirm the fit.
How much does it cost?
Complete program and investment details are shared privately before you decide whether to schedule a consultation.
Do we need to be engaged to begin?
Engaged couples and couples planning to become engaged are welcome. The earlier you begin, the more room you have to act on what you learn.
How is this different from therapy?
Therapy may address mental health concerns, significant relationship distress, trauma, or clinical treatment needs. The Before Path is non-clinical consulting designed for couples preparing intentionally for marriage.
Is this a faith-based program?
The Before Path can incorporate Christian faith and values when that is important to both partners. It is not required, and the experience remains centered on the couple’s own convictions and decisions.
What if we disagree on important things?
Most couples do, and learning that early is the point. My role is to help each of you be heard and to help you decide together. I do not take sides or score who is right.
Ready to begin?
Start with a private inquiry. I’ll reply within two business days with the next steps.
Send a short inquiry about the two of you.
I reply within two business days.
You receive details privately, then decide whether to schedule a consultation.