Pre-Marital Counseling Training
Prepare Certification Seminar
Ron Williams will train and certify ministers to use the Prepare/Enrich inventory in pre-marital counseling. Ministers will receive a notebook with everything they
need for certification, including a coupon to send in their first profile ($35 value). Ron currently serves as Senior Pastor for Pathway Community Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has worked with Life Innovations over the past 14 years as a trainer and facilitator for the Prepare/Enrich material. For the past 10 years Ron has assisted other churches by providing training through Life Innovations to counseling pastors as well as additional training for churches desiring to establish a premarital mentor program. Ron has spent significant research in premarital counseling models and has authored Couple-to-Couple a premarital mentoring program for the local church. In addition to Ron’s role as Sr. Pastor at PCC he also serves on the Board of Directors for Healthy Marriages of Allen County a grass roots effort organization that has linked arms with churches, organizations and civil authorities in providing effective premarital and marriage strengthening tools.
Cost: $160 – Includes Lunch and all training materials
(Special Cost for Missionary Church members: $150)
Frequently Asked Questions about the PREPARE Program:
What are the major goals of the PREPARE/ENRICH Program?
There are six goals and six couple exercises. The six couple exercises are designed to help couples:
1. Explore their Relationship Strength and Growth Areas 2. Strengthen their communication skills, including assertiveness and active
listening
3. Resolve their conflicts using the Ten Steps for Resolving Couple Conflict
4. Explore their relationship and families-of-origin issues with Couple and
Family Map
5. Develop a workable budget and financial plan
6. Develop their personal, couple and family goals
What do the couples receive?
The couple first takes one of the relevant Inventories (PREPARE, PREPARE-CC, PREPARE-MC, ENRICH or MATE) and then receives 3 or more feedback sessions with a trained professional. The couple receives a Building a Strong
Marriage Workbook (25 pages) which they use for completing the six couple exercises.
How many couples have taken the inventories?
Since its inception in 1980, more than 2 million couples have used the inventories. How many are trained to administer the inventory? In the United States over 50,000 counselors and clergy are trained to use the PREPARE/ENRICH Program. There are also branch offices in several countries: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden and Taiwan.
What are the five inventories?
There are five inventories: PREPARE, for premarital couples, PREPARE-MC for premarital couples with children, PREPARE-CC for cohabiting couples, ENRICH for married couples and MATE for older couples and middle aged couples in transition.
How does the Program work?
A trained counselor administers the appropriate inventory to the couple. Each inventory has 165 items and 30 background questions. The completed answer sheets are sent in to our office and scored. The scoring process includes comparing the partners' responses to each other with adjustments for idealistic distortion and national norms. A 15 page Computer Report is returned to the
counselor for use in the three or more counseling sessions.
When did the company start?
The inventories are a result of a research project completed at the University of Minnesota. At the completion of the project in 1980, the demand for the inventories was so great Dr. Olson started the company PREPARE/ENRICH.
Who can train to use the inventories and how are they trained?
Counselors and Clergy. We recommend that everyone interested in being trained attend a daylong seminar where they learn how to administer and interpret the reports and offer the PREPARE/ENRICH Program. Only counselors have the option to purchase the Self-Training Program.