How to Use the Prepare/Enrich Assessment to Set Relationship Goals in 2026
- Jan 16
- 6 min read
Whether you're engaged, newly married, or have been together for years, Florecer Family Counseling is here to support you on your journey towards a stronger and healthier relationship. Our therapists in Woodland Hills, Temecula, and San Bernardino—as well as online throughout California—are dedicated to helping and counseling couples with whatever they might need help with. Contact us today and learn how we can help with your therapy needs.
As 2025 reaches its end and the new year approaches, many couple may find themselves wondering how they can further strengthen and improve their relationship for 2026. The Prepare/Enrich assessment offers a proven, structured way to understand your partnership on a deeper level and it can help you learn how to set goals to help your relationship grow. In this blog, we'll explore what this powerful relationship assessment does, how it can help you, and why now is the perfect time to invest in your relationship's future.
What is Prepare/Enrich and How Does It Work?
The Prepare/Enrich assessment is a relationship assessment tool used by certified therapists to help couples identify their strengths and areas for growth. It is like a roadmap for your relationship—one that highlights areas that you are doing well in and areas that could use some extra support.
The process is simple: each partner independently completes an online questionnaire that takes about thirty to forty-five minutes. You'll answer questions about different aspects of your relationship such as communication, finances, and intimacy. It's important to answer honestly and separately from your partner, as the assessment can only help you if you are completely open and honest.
Once both partners complete the questionnaire, your therapist will receive a detailed, personalized report that reveals patterns in your relationship. This report shows areas where you're highly compatible, areas where you might have different perspectives, and areas that could benefit from counseling. This will lead to the feedback sessions with your therapist, where you'll sit down together to discuss what the assessment revealed and develop specific, actionable steps for improvement.
Key Relationship Areas Assessed
The Prepare/Enrich assessment examines ten different areas of your relationship. Below are a list of the top five categories that are looked at in the assessment.
Communication is often the first area couples want to explore because it affects how you handle everything else. The assessment evaluates how you share feelings and thoughts, whether you feel truly heard by your partner, and your ability to discuss difficult topics. Many couples discover they have different communication styles they never recognized before.
Conflict resolution matters because every couple experiences disagreements. The assessment looks at how you approach arguments, whether conflicts get resolved or are just ignored, and your ability to compromise with each other. For example, some couples discover that they are avoiders who sweep issues under the rug, while others learn that they escalate small disagreements into major arguments. Learning your conflict resolution style can help you both reach a healthier style of communication and strengthen your relationship.
Financial management is consistently one of the top sources of stress in relationships. This section explores your attitudes toward spending and saving, how you make financial decisions together, and whether you share similar financial goals. Many times couples find themselves discussing finances in ways that they have been avoiding for years
Intimacy and affection assesses both emotional and physical intimacy. The assessment looks at how satisfied you are with affection in your relationship, your expectations around intimacy, and how you express and receive love. This isn't just about physical intimacy—it's about whether you feel truly close to your partner and can be vulnerable with them.
Spiritual beliefs and faith provides invaluable insights for couples seeking faith-integrated support. It covers how important faith is to each of you, whether you share similar spiritual practices, and how your beliefs influence daily life. At Florecer Family Counseling, we offer Christian counseling options and can integrate faith into your premarital counseling in California or ongoing couples counseling.
Turning Assessment Results into Actionable Goals
Getting back your results can be very insightful and reveal issues you may not have seen before, but the assessment is only the first step. Next is the integration into couples counseling. Working with your therapist to continue strengthening the things you are doing good while also improving in areas you struggle with is the main goal of taking the assessment in the first place.
After acknowledging the areas you are doing well in, identify the top three areas that you are struggling with, as tackling every area you are struggling with may be more than you can handle. Choose areas that impact your daily life most, that both of you want to improve, and that you feel that you can improve within the next few months. Common areas include:
Improving conflict resolution skills
Aligning financial goals and habits
Increasing quality time together
Enhancing emotional or physical intimacy
Make your goals specific and measurable. Vague goals like "communicating better" don't lead to any real change. Instead, create specific action steps such as: instead of "let's fight less," try "when we disagree, we'll take a ten-minute break before continuing the conversation." Instead of "let's save more money," commit to "let's set aside money for emergencies and create a clear budget with priorities."
Work with your therapist to create an action plan that breaks down big goals into small steps. Your counselor will help you adapt to obstacles, schedule regular check-ins, and keep you accountable. Most couples find that weekly couple meetings and monthly therapy sessions keep them on track for improvement. During this time, it is important to stay patient and consistent. Sometimes it may feel like you've gone a long time without a breakthrough or with improvement, but it is important to keep placing one foot after the other and keep moving forward.
Why the New Year is Perfect for Setting Goals
The weeks leading up to January and the new year can be a good time for reflection as the holidays give you time to reflect on the year and on your relationship. This creates a window to schedule your Prepare/Enrich assessment, have important conversations, and establish new habits before the year starts again and it is back to a busy schedule.
The holidays provide valuable relationship data after having just navigated family dynamics, financial decisions, time management, and expectations. These experiences provide fresh insights into your relationship patterns that you looked at in your prepare and enrich assessment.
Special Considerations for Couples
The Prepare/Enrich assessment works for couples at all stages. If you're engaged and planning a wedding in 2026, then the prepare/enrich assessment is perfect for you. The ideal timeline is six to twelve months before your wedding, allowing you time to go through couples counseling and work through any problems in your relationship.
If you're newly married, the assessment helps you adjust to married life more smoothly and establish healthy patterns early on. If you' are experiencing hardships in your relationship, the assessment combined with intensive therapy can help you understand what is going wrong and help you make informed decisions about your future.
How to Book Your Assessment
Ready to invest in your relationship this January? Getting started is simple.
Contact Florecer Family Counseling by calling 805-635-0883 or visiting our website to schedule a free consultation. During this conversation, we'll answer your questions about the assessment, discuss your relationship goals, match you with the right therapist, and explain pricing and insurance coverage.
Choose your preferred location:
Woodland Hills: 6303 Owensmouth Ave, 10th Floor, Suite 1065A
Temecula: Serving Southwest Riverside County
San Bernardino: Serving the Inland Empire
Online: Virtual sessions available anywhere in California
After scheduling, you'll receive secure online access to complete the questionnaire independently. Most couples then schedule three to five sessions to review results, discuss key areas, develop your action plan, and begin working on goals together.
Making Your Relationship Stronger than before
Having arguments get resolved effectively, making financial decisions as a team that both people agree with, and sharing deeper intimacy are goals that all couples should strive for. The Prepare/Enrich assessment is a powerful tool that has helped thousands of couples build stronger relationships. Whether you're seeking premarital counseling in California, working through relationship challenges, or strengthening an already good relationship, Florecer Family Counseling is here to serve you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Prepare/Enrich assessment take?
You each complete the online assessment separately. This allows you to answer honestly without influence from your partner. Your individual responses are then combined to create a comprehensive couple's report that our facilitator will review with you during your feedback sessions.
Do we take the assessment together or separately?
Yes, absolutely. Your responses are confidential and will only be shared between you, your partner, and your certified facilitator. We follow strict HIPAA guidelines to protect your privacy.
What happens after we complete the assessment?
After you both complete the online questionnaire, your facilitator will generate a personalized report highlighting your relationship strengths and growth areas. You'll then schedule feedback sessions where you'll review the results together, learn research-based communication skills, practice conflict resolution techniques, and create an action plan for your relationship.
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