Before the wedding
Premarital Counseling in Charlotte, NC
You have opinions about the venue. Do you have a plan for money, in-laws, careers, children and the way you two fight? Premarital counseling is the least romantic and most useful thing on your wedding checklist.
Premarital counseling is worth it if
- Your arguments tend to end by exhaustion rather than resolution
- You are usually the one who compromises to keep the peace
- You have not fully discussed debt, savings, or how money will be handled
- You have different assumptions about children, faith or extended family
- You want to define roles and expectations rather than inherit them
- Things are good and you would like to keep it that way on purpose
Recognize several of these? That is usually reason enough to start a conversation. Request an appointment →
We use validated assessments, not generic advice
Angie Baquedano is a certified PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator, one of the most widely used premarital assessment programs in the world. You each complete an online questionnaire; the results come back to your therapist, who then walks you both through your strengths and your growth areas across six to eight sessions while teaching proven relationship skills.
Kelly Roberson is a certified SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) facilitator, offering a second validated framework with a somewhat different emphasis. We will help you choose.
What we cover
- Communication patterns and listening skills
- Conflict style, how each of you argues, and how to fight fairly
- Money: debt, savings, spending values and financial transparency
- Expectations around roles, housework and the mental load
- Children, parenting philosophy and timing
- Faith, values and family-of-origin traditions
- In-laws and boundary setting
- Intimacy, affection and how to keep it after the wedding
- Career, relocation and whose ambitions get priority when
Why it matters more than it sounds
The intimate nature of marriage requires that you talk about everything, including the awkward parts. Premarital counseling gives you a structured, low-stakes place to do that with a neutral third party who will notice the things you have both learned to talk around.
It will surface topics you have discussed before, and some you have not considered at all. Finding the unexpected disagreements now, while you are calm and curious, is much easier than discovering them in year three.
What changes
What clients tend to notice
- A shared map of your strengths and your growth areas
- Conflict skills before you need them at 11pm
- Explicit agreements about money, roles and family
- Short and long-term goals you both actually signed off on
Who provides this
Angie Baquedano
MA, LMFT
Bilingual family and couples therapy, terapia en español.
Kelly Roberson
MA, LCMHCA (NC), LPC (SC), NCC
Couples work, adult ADHD, and the question of what you actually want your life to be.
Ashleigh Bryan
MS, LMFT, PMH-C
Couples therapy and maternal mental health, grounded in 17+ years of practice.
Premarital Counseling: questions we are asked
How many premarital sessions do we need?
PREPARE/ENRICH is typically delivered over six to eight sessions after the online questionnaire. Some couples do a shorter focused block; we will scope it in the first conversation.
We are already married. Is it too late?
Not at all. The same assessments are widely used for marriage enrichment and for couples in their first years. If there is active distress, couples therapy is usually the better starting point.
Does insurance cover premarital counseling?
Usually not. Insurance requires a mental health diagnosis and medical necessity, which premarital work generally does not meet. Most couples self-pay at $170 per session, and our package rates apply.
Do you require a religious affiliation?
No. Our premarital work is secular by default, and we are glad to make room for your faith tradition if you want it included.
Can we do premarital counseling online?
Yes, for couples located in North Carolina or South Carolina. The assessments are completed online regardless.
Get started
Taking the first step is the hardest part.
Tell us a little about what is going on and we will match you with the right clinician, usually within a few days.
In-network with BCBS PPO & Aetna · Self-pay from $155 · Evenings until 8 PM