Premarital Counseling in Greenville, SC

Engaged couple having fun on the beach in Greenville, SC

Getting married is one of the most meaningful — and most consequential — decisions of your life. Premarital counseling gives you and your partner a focused, structured way to talk through the questions that matter most before the wedding, so you walk into marriage with a clearer picture of each other, fewer surprises, and stronger tools for working through the challenges that every couple eventually faces.

At Olive Tree Counseling in Greenville, SC, we offer evidence-based premarital counseling for engaged couples using two of the most respected assessment programs in the field: SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) and Prepare/Enrich.

About Olive Tree Counseling

At Olive Tree Counseling & Consultation, working with couples is at the heart of what we do. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Greenville, SC, we’ve spent years helping couples at every stage of the journey — engaged couples building a strong foundation, newlyweds finding their rhythm, and long-married couples rediscovering each other. Premarital work is some of the most rewarding work we do, because the foundation you build now shapes everything that comes after. The goal isn’t to predict every challenge you’ll face, but to make sure you face them as a team that knows how to talk to each other.

Who premarital counseling is for

Premarital counseling is for any couple who wants to start their marriage on the strongest possible footing. Most of the couples we work with are:

  • Recently engaged and planning their wedding
  • Already engaged but want to slow down and have intentional conversations
  • Required by their officiant, pastor, or family to complete premarital counseling
  • Couples who’ve been together for years but want to formally prepare for marriage
  • Couples in a second marriage who want to address blended-family dynamics, finances, and past relationship patterns

You don’t have to be in conflict to benefit from premarital counseling. In fact, the best time to come in is when things feel good — when you have the energy to look honestly at strengths, blind spots, and patterns before life pressures (work, kids, money, in-laws) start applying force.

Our approach — assessment-driven, conversation-centered

Premarital counseling at Olive Tree is structured but flexible. We use research-backed assessments to make your time efficient — you’ll spend less time explaining who you are and more time having real conversations about what matters. Every couple is different, but most programs follow this rough shape:

  1. Free 15-minute consultation — we talk about what brings you in, answer logistical questions, and see if we’re a good fit.
  2. First session together — you meet John as a couple. We talk about your story, your goals, and decide together which assessment (or combination) makes sense for you.
  3. Online assessment (Optional) — you and your partner complete the SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich questionnaire independently, online, on your own time. Takes about 30-45 minutes each.
  4. Feedback sessions — we walk through the results together over several sessions, focusing on the areas the assessment surfaces.
  5. Skills work — we don’t just identify patterns; we practice tools for communication, conflict, finances, expectations, intimacy, and shared values.

Most couples complete the program in 5-8 sessions over 2-4 months, though we can compress this if your wedding date is approaching.

SYMBIS — Saving your marriage before It starts

SYMBIS is one of the most widely used premarital programs in the country. Developed by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott and informed by decades of relationship research, the SYMBIS assessment generates a detailed, personalized report unique to your relationship.

  • Your personality dynamics as a couple — strengths, gaps, and how you balance each other
  • Communication and conflict styles
  • Love-style and attachment patterns
  • Money and finances
  • Spiritual and values alignment
  • “Hot topics” the report flags as needing focused conversation

The strength of SYMBIS is its personalization — you walk away with a 15+ page report you can return to throughout your marriage, not just before the wedding. John is a certified SYMBIS Facilitator.

Prepare/Enrich

Prepare/Enrich is the other gold-standard premarital assessment, used in over 4 million premarital programs since its founding. It’s research-grounded, secular, and especially strong on skills-based feedback — telling you not just where you and your partner agree or disagree, but giving you concrete exercises to work through the disagreements.

The Prepare/Enrich assessment covers:

  • Relationship satisfaction and idealistic distortion
  • Communication and conflict resolution
  • Financial management
  • Sexual expectations
  • Family of origin and family expectations
  • Spiritual beliefs (optional, can be omitted for secular couples)
  • Personal stress and personality

John is a certified Prepare/Enrich Facilitator.

Why we offer both programs

Most premarital counselors specialize in one assessment. We offer both because the right tool depends on the couple. SYMBIS often resonates with couples who want depth and a strong narrative around their relationship; Prepare/Enrich often resonates with couples who want clear data and skills practice. Some couples benefit from doing both. In your first session, we’ll talk through which approach fits your relationship — and you’ll have a real say in choosing.

Topics we’ll cover together

Regardless of which assessment you use, premarital counseling typically addresses:

  • Communication — how you each give and receive information, and where misunderstandings happen
  • Conflict — recognizing destructive patterns early and building healthy ones
  • Finances — spending styles, debt, shared vs. separate accounts, financial expectations
  • Family of origin — how the families you grew up in shape what you expect from marriage
  • Roles and expectations — division of labor, careers, ambitions, future plans
  • Intimacy — both emotional and physical, including the conversations couples usually avoid
  • Children — whether, when, how many, and parenting styles
  • Spiritual and values alignment — including how to handle differences in faith or worldview
  • In-laws and extended family — boundaries, holidays, expectations

Faith, when you want it

Faith matters deeply to many of the couples we work with, and we’re trained to integrate it naturally when that’s part of your story. John has a B.A. in Religion from Wofford College and have co-led marriage ministry at his church alongside his wife, Maury. If your faith is central to how you understand marriage, we can incorporate it into the work — looking at scripture, prayer, and how you understand your covenant together. SYMBIS in particular has Christian roots and offers a faith-integrated version of the assessment if that’s meaningful to you.

If faith isn’t part of how you and your partner approach your marriage, that’s completely fine too. Prepare/Enrich is fully secular, and the underlying premarital work is just as effective without a faith framework. Many of the couples we see don’t share my faith background, and we do meaningful work together. We’ll always follow your lead.

Already married?

If you and your partner are already married, marriage counseling is likely the better fit. The tools we use with married couples — including the Gottman Method, EFT, and IFS — are designed for existing dynamics rather than the pre-wedding preparation that premarital counseling focuses on.

Fees and logistics

Premarital sessions are $175 per clinical hour, the same rate as my couples sessions. Most insurance plans don’t cover premarital counseling because it isn’t a treatment for a diagnosed condition, but we can provide a superbill if you’d like to attempt reimbursement. SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich each have a small one-time platform fee (around $35) paid directly to the assessment provider.

We offer in-person sessions at my Greenville office at 156 Milestone Way, and HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for couples anywhere in South Carolina. Many couples mix the two — coming in person when schedules allow, switching to virtual when life gets busy.

If your officiant requires documentation of session completion, we’re happy to provide it.

Ready to start?

If you’re engaged in or near Greenville, SC and want to begin married life with intention, we’d love to talk. We offer a free 15-minute phone consultation so we can talk about what’s bringing you in and whether we’re the right fit. There’s no pressure — just a conversation.

Do we have to be religious to do premarital counseling here?
No. We work with couples across the religious spectrum, including secular couples. SYMBIS has Christian roots but its assessment is usable by anyone; Prepare/Enrich is fully secular. You’re welcome regardless of your faith background.

How far in advance of the wedding should we start?
Ideally 4-6 months out. That gives you time to complete the assessment, work through feedback sessions, and integrate what you learn before wedding pressure peaks. That said, we can compress the program if your wedding is closer.

What if my partner doesn’t want to come?
Premarital counseling only works when both partners are willing. If your partner is hesitant, a free consultation is a low-pressure way to address their concerns. We can also start with one session and let your partner decide from there.

Can we do this if we’re already married?
For couples already married, we’d typically recommend marriage counseling in Greenville, SC instead, which uses tools like the Gottman Method and EFT that are better suited to existing dynamics.

Do you offer this for second marriages?
Yes. Premarital counseling for second (or third) marriages is particularly valuable — there’s usually more to navigate (children from previous relationships, finances, past hurts, in-law dynamics). We adjust the program to focus on what’s most relevant.

How long does it take? Most couples finish in 5-8 sessions over 2-4 months. Some do as few as 4, some prefer to extend it. Your timeline drives ours.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Or call (864) 881-2329.

Premarital Counseling FAQ

Premarital counseling is a structured, assessment-driven program designed to prepare engaged couples for marriage. We work through specific topics — communication, finances, family of origin, intimacy, expectations — using research-backed tools like SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich. It’s usually time-limited (5-8 sessions over a few months) and focused on building a foundation. Marriage counseling, by contrast, is for couples who are already married and working through existing dynamics — drift, conflict patterns, infidelity recovery, or rebuilding connection. It uses different methods (Gottman, EFT, IFS) suited to ongoing relationship work and is typically open-ended in length.

Ideally 4-6 months out. That gives you time to complete the assessment, work through feedback sessions, and integrate what you learn before wedding pressure peaks. That said, we can compress the program if your wedding is closer — even a shortened version is better than skipping it altogether.

It depends on what you’re looking for. SYMBIS tends to resonate with couples who want depth, narrative, and a personalized report they can come back to throughout marriage — and it has a faith-integrated option if that matters to you. Prepare/Enrich tends to resonate with couples who want clear data, a more secular framework, and concrete skills-based exercises. Some couples benefit from doing both. In our first session, we’ll talk through which one fits you best, and you’ll have a real say in the choice.

No. We work with couples across the religious spectrum, including fully secular couples. SYMBIS has Christian roots but its assessment is usable by anyone, and Prepare/Enrich is fully secular. You’re welcome regardless of your faith background, and we’ll always follow your lead on whether and how to integrate faith.

You don’t need to, but the couples who choose to even without being required almost always say afterward that it was worth it. Premarital counseling isn’t about catching red flags or talking you out of marriage — it’s about going into marriage with a clearer picture of each other and better tools for the inevitable hard moments. The cost of doing it is small. The cost of skipping it and discovering later that you and your partner had unspoken assumptions about money, kids, or in-laws is much larger.

Yes. We offer HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for couples anywhere in South Carolina, and many of the couples we work with do a mix of in-person and virtual depending on their schedules. The SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich assessments are completed online by design, so the only piece that ever has to be in-person is the conversation itself — and that works just as well over video for most couples.

This is more common than you might think — one partner usually drives the decision to reach out. A free consultation is a low-pressure way to address hesitation, and many partners come around once they understand that premarital counseling isn’t about identifying who’s “right” or “wrong.” It’s about getting on the same page before the wedding. You’re welcome to call us to talk through how best to bring it up.

For couples already married, we’d typically recommend marriage counseling instead, which uses tools like the Gottman Method and EFT that are better suited to existing dynamics. That said, if you’re recently married and never got to do premarital work, we can sometimes adapt the SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich process for newlyweds — give me a call and we can talk through what makes sense.

Yes. Premarital counseling for second (or third) marriages is particularly valuable — there’s usually more to navigate (children from previous relationships, finances, past hurts, in-law dynamics). We adjust the program to focus on what’s most relevant for your situation.

Most couples finish in 5-8 sessions over 2-4 months. Some do as few as 4 sessions, and some prefer to extend it. Sessions are $175 per clinical hour, the same as my couples rate. SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich each have a small platform fee (around $35) paid directly to the assessment provider. Most insurance plans don’t cover premarital counseling, but we can provide a superbill if you’d like to attempt reimbursement.

How is premarital counseling different from marriage counseling?

Premarital counseling is a structured, assessment-driven program designed to prepare engaged couples for marriage. We work through specific topics — communication, finances, family of origin, intimacy, expectations — using research-backed tools like SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich. It’s usually time-limited (5-8 sessions over a few months) and focused on building a foundation. Marriage counseling, by contrast, is for couples who are already married and working through existing dynamics — drift, conflict patterns, infidelity recovery, or rebuilding connection. It uses different methods (Gottman, EFT, IFS) suited to ongoing relationship work and is typically open-ended in length.

How far in advance of the wedding should we start?

Ideally 4-6 months out. That gives you time to complete the assessment, work through feedback sessions, and integrate what you learn before wedding pressure peaks. That said, we can compress the program if your wedding is closer — even a shortened version is better than skipping it altogether.

Is SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich better for us?

It depends on what you’re looking for. SYMBIS tends to resonate with couples who want depth, narrative, and a personalized report they can come back to throughout marriage — and it has a faith-integrated option if that matters to you. Prepare/Enrich tends to resonate with couples who want clear data, a more secular framework, and concrete skills-based exercises. Some couples benefit from doing both. In our first session, we’ll talk through which one fits you best, and you’ll have a real say in the choice.

Do we have to be religious to do premarital counseling here?

No. We work with couples across the religious spectrum, including fully secular couples. SYMBIS has Christian roots but its assessment is usable by anyone, and Prepare/Enrich is fully secular. You’re welcome regardless of your faith background, and we’ll always follow your lead on whether and how to integrate faith.

Do we need to do premarital counseling if our pastor isn’t requiring it?

You don’t need to, but the couples who choose to even without being required almost always say afterward that it was worth it. Premarital counseling isn’t about catching red flags or talking you out of marriage — it’s about going into marriage with a clearer picture of each other and better tools for the inevitable hard moments. The cost of doing it is small. The cost of skipping it and discovering later that you and your partner had unspoken assumptions about money, kids, or in-laws is much larger.

Can we do premarital counseling online?

Yes. We offer HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for couples anywhere in South Carolina, and many of the couples we work with do a mix of in-person and virtual depending on their schedules. The SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich assessments are completed online by design, so the only piece that ever has to be in-person is the conversation itself — and that works just as well over video for most couples.

What if my partner doesn’t want to come?

This is more common than you might think — one partner usually drives the decision to reach out. A free consultation is a low-pressure way to address hesitation, and many partners come around once they understand that premarital counseling isn’t about identifying who’s “right” or “wrong.” It’s about getting on the same page before the wedding. You’re welcome to call us to talk through how best to bring it up.

Can we do this if we’re already married?

For couples already married, we’d typically recommend marriage counseling instead, which uses tools like the Gottman Method and EFT that are better suited to existing dynamics. That said, if you’re recently married and never got to do premarital work, we can sometimes adapt the SYMBIS or Prepare/Enrich process for newlyweds — give me a call and we can talk through what makes sense.

Do you offer this for second marriages?

Yes. Premarital counseling for second (or third) marriages is particularly valuable — there’s usually more to navigate (children from previous relationships, finances, past hurts, in-law dynamics). We adjust the program to focus on what’s most relevant for your situation.

How long does premarital counseling take, and what does it cost?

Most couples finish in 5-8 sessions over 2-4 months. Some do as few as 4 sessions, and some prefer to extend it. Sessions are $175 per clinical hour, the same as my couples rate. SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich each have a small platform fee (around $35) paid directly to the assessment provider. Most insurance plans don’t cover premarital counseling, but we can provide a superbill if you’d like to attempt reimbursement.