Best Online Premarital Counseling

Three of the biggest obstacles people (including couples) encounter when seeking therapy are lack of access, affordability, and flexible scheduling. These factors can become especially limiting when you're planning a wedding. Ours overcomes these limitations through its hybrid therapy model—live online talk therapy alongside self-guided lessons. It's not a typical couples therapy experience, but for engaged couples who want efficient therapy at a reasonable price, it can't be beaten.

Being engaged isn't a prerequisite for Ours' couples counseling program—the company says it welcomes “relationships of all kinds—new connections, serious relationships, recently engaged, the married crowd, and everything in between.”

After you complete a brief questionnaire, you and your partner are matched to your therapist, or "guide" as Ours calls them. Then, together you work through self-guided lessons or modules and take part in two therapy sessions with a licensed therapist: One when you begin the process, and the second after completing the modules.

While not as talk therapy-heavy as other online therapy platforms, Ours' self-guided program is designed to help couples get to the bottom of their issues on their own schedule. This helps the program remain budget- and busy-schedule-friendly. If you feel like you and your partner need more than that to address your concerns, though, you might want to seek out a service more focused on talk therapy.

• You can access Ours' entire couples therapy program for a one-time fee of $400. This includes two live therapy sessions via video chat and a series of self-guided online lessons. You can purchase four content sessions for $200.
• You can purchase one content session for $50.
  

Eighty-four percent of users surveyed said the therapists at Ours were well qualified, and 86% said the service was better than others they'd used. Seventy-eight percent said most or all of their needs were met by their therapist.

Since couples preparing for marriage tend to be busy, Talkspace is helping to make couples counseling therapy simpler and more accessible. The company has been around since 2012. While it offers more general therapy, too, its designated team of couples and marriage therapists got our attention for this list. You can sign up for premarital counseling—and, if you need it, continue counseling after your wedding, too. 

To sign up, you start by taking a simple questionnaire. Then, based on your answers, you’ll be matched with a number of therapists and you and your partner can decide who you want to work with. 

Once you begin counseling, you can communicate with your therapist in a number of ways—via video or audio chat, live chat, and text. In terms of cost, Talkspace's prices are about average when compared to similar services we've reviewed. It also accepts most major insurance plans, which can greatly offset the cost.

Talkspace has three therapy plans:

• Messaging Therapy: Includes unlimited messaging with guaranteed daily therapist responses five days a week and starts at $69/week
• Live Therapy: Includes four live therapy sessions a month via live chat, phone, or video call and starts at $99/week
• Live + Messaging Therapy: Includes both messaging and four live sessions and starts at $109/week

Ninety percent of surveyed users rated Talkspace good to excellent overall, while 82% said they would recommend the service to a friend or someone like them. Ninety-two percent said the therapist's qualifications were good to excellent.

If you’ve been with your partner for quite some time before deciding to legally unify, you might have some deep-seated issues that need ironing out. However, since you’re also potentially planning a wedding, you may not have the time to dedicate to several weekly sessions. That’s when an intensive couples counseling retreat, like the ones offered by Couples Therapy Inc, might be your best option. 

It has an intensive counseling option specifically for those who are on the road to getting married. The program begins with a five- to six-hour assessment, which involves filling out comprehensive questionnaires, two joint online sessions, and two individual online sessions. All of this can be completed over three weeks. The sessions are designed to zero in on a few areas that most concern you before marriage. 

It may sound like a lot, but in the end, your therapist will have a good idea of the issues that need addressing and can offer a clear treatment plan involving actions you can take to improve your relationship. This targeted approach is apparently why the service has been so successful for many couples. The cost of this particular program varies depending on the level of expertise of your counselor, and the rate is hourly.  

For those who can’t commit to an intensive program like this, Couples Therapy Inc. can break up sessions to accommodate your schedule. Or, if you’d prefer to do more traditional therapy sessions, that’s an option as well. If you’re not sure what will work best, there is a quiz on the website that outlines each program to guide you to what will be best for you and your partner. 

Counselors have over 20 years of training in science-backed relationship therapy, and you can review their bios ahead of time before moving forward with one. All sessions, even the intensive weekend, can be completed online, so your location won’t prevent you from accessing the program unless you prefer to do it in person. Before getting started, your chosen therapist will have you fill out an assessment about your relationship and what you’re hoping to address. 

• The per-session rate for couples counseling is anywhere from $159 to $250; $119 to $199 for couples coaching.
• Weekend intensive retreats start at $2,500.

Ninety percent of Couples Therapy Inc.'s users said their therapist’s qualifications were good to excellent, and another 90% said the same about the service overall. Eighty-seven percent said it was better than similar services they'd used in the past.

LGBTQIA+ couples may experience pre-marital stress and anxiety just like any other couple, but they might also have to deal with issues heterosexual couples don’t. For example, as you work toward blending your families, you could be faced with family members who aren’t as accepting of your union, or vendors with discriminatory policies. For topics like that and more, it’s helpful to have a therapist who gets it, and can help you tackle anything that arises to test your relationship. 

The Queer Couples Center is a San Francisco-based organization run by a gay couple who also happen to be qualified, accredited therapists. They’re both certified in the Gottman Method, and worked with the organization on a peer-reviewed study concerning the effectiveness of the Gottman Method on same-sex couples. All the therapists at Queer Couples are LGBTQIA+ and trained in emotionally focused therapy—which is often cited as one of the most effective ways of addressing relationship issues.

Services include couples and individual counseling, as well as relationship coaching, which can be done individually, with your partner, or in a group therapy session.

In order to get started, you complete a brief online questionnaire followed by a free assessment call with one of the therapists. After that, you’ll be matched with a therapist who best fits your needs, and can schedule video or phone sessions that fit your schedule. 

In the meantime, you can get a sense of how the service works by watching videos or reading blog posts that discuss common relationship issues and ways to address them. The Center also provides an extensive list of mental health resources, including crisis centers, meditation and yoga groups, events lists, and helpful books. The main downside is that it’s based on the West Coast, so scheduling sessions could be challenging for people who live in a distant time zones. In addition, the service has a relatively small pool of therapists and there’s no mention of cost-per-session fees on the website. 

Cost varies depending on the therapist you're matched with.

Eighty-nine percent of users surveyed said that most or all of their needs were met by the Center's therapists. While 79% said the therapist's qualifications were generally good, just 71% said they'd recommend the service to a friend or someone like them.

Whether beliefs and traditions are causing friction in your relationship, or you’re looking for a more faith-based approach to counseling, Grace Wellness Center may be able to help. All of its providers have a deep understanding of Christianity, and several of them specialize in helping Christian couples work through any concerns they may have on their journey to the altar and beyond, including conflict resolution and issues around intimacy and communication. 

You can choose your own counselor at Grace Wellness Center, which is different from many of the other companies we reviewed, and you can meet with them in person, on the phone, or via live video chat. The counselors will also likely share workbooks and educational resources to do with your partner on your own time. 

It should be noted, however, that some of the counselors are not licensed therapists, but rather guides or pastors.

Therapy is pay-per-session, and ranges in cost from $55 to $150 per session. There are three tiers you can choose from:

• Tier 1: Work with a counselor in training guided by a licensed professional; $55/session
• Tier 2: Work with a counselor, pastor, or coach with a master's degree; $125/session
• Tier 3: Work with a counselor with 10 years of experience or more; $150/session
  

Grace Wellness was not featured in our user survey this year.

No matter how stable your relationship seems, when you’re preparing for marriage, financial issues are bound to surface. Whether these issues stem from exorbitant wedding costs, earning inequality, spending disagreements, or combining assets, money can be a stress point both before marriage and after. 

Several analyses have found that finances are the most common cause of conflict between couples at any stage. Another study found that when finances are the biggest source of contention in a marriage, it’s more likely to end in divorce. The reason seems to be that finances and emotions are more closely linked than people think. 

Financial therapy is a newer form of therapy, but a sizable group of experts in the field has joined the Financial Therapy Association directory. You can search for one who fits your needs under “find a therapist” on its website. From there, you will find a lengthy bio on each therapist’s specialties, where they’re located, if you can meet with them virtually or in person, and their payment structure.

Most of them appear to work on a pay-per-session model, and insurance doesn’t generally cover this type of therapy. However, if you’re hoping to get to the bottom of the financial issues in your relationship before saying “I do,” this is where you’ll find therapists at the forefront of the burgeoning field. 

Pricing is pay-per-session and depends on the therapist.

Eighty-one percent of users surveyed said the site was easy or very easy to navigate, and 98% of users said they found a therapist who met some or all of their needs. Eighty-one percent said they were still using their therapist from the directory at the time they completed the survey.

Our Relationship offers self-driven programs aimed at helping couples learn to communicate better and get back on track—and these programs could be a good substitute for premarital counseling if you can’t afford weekly sessions. 

The programs were developed by relationship experts who know how to get to the bottom of common issues couples face. They are guided by qualified therapists with ample experience in relationship therapy, so you’ll have someone you can shoot questions to along the way. 

All of the services are online, so it’s a great option for engaged couples who are extra busy. However, the programs aren’t designed to be intensive therapy sessions, so if you feel you need personalized attention like that, you may want to look elsewhere. 

To access the self-guided program, you pay a one-time fee of $199.

Our Relationship was not featured in our user survey this year.