You love each other and can see a future together, but marriage can bring up some big questions.

How do we know if we’re really ready?
Are we on the same page about the life we want?
What should we be talking about before we get married?
What if we want different things?

Maybe you’re thinking about money, kids, careers, sex, religion, family boundaries, where you’ll live, or how you’ll divide responsibilities. Or maybe nothing is “wrong” you just want to be intentional about the marriage you’re creating.

Premarital counseling gives you a space to have those conversations now instead of waiting until they become conflicts later.

Book a Free Consultation Here

Premarital Counseling in Denver, Colorado

Reasons You Could Benefit From Premarital Counseling

Contact me for a free consulation

Reasons You Could Benefit From Premarital Counseling

You keep wondering, “Are we really on the same page?”
You want to make sure you’ve talked about the important things.
You’re wondering, “What haven’t we thought about yet?”
You want to go deeper around money, kids, sex, family, or careers.
You have different ideas about parts of your future.
You want to better understand what you each expect from marriage.
You want to feel more prepared for the commitment you’re making.

Premarital therapy gives you space to slow down and have conversations that can easily get pushed aside when life and wedding planning get busy

Schedule a Free Consultation

Feel more confident that you understand what each of you wants from marriage.
Make decisions about your future without one person having to convince the other.
Know how to bring up difficult topics instead of avoiding them until they become bigger problems.
Understand what helps each of you feel loved, supported, respected, and connected.
Create shared expectations for your relationship while still making room for each of you to be your own person.

Benefits of Premarital Counseling

Before we jump into changing anything, I want to get to know both of you and the relationship
you’ve built together. I ask a lot of questions because I genuinely want to understand you. We’ll explore your relationship, your families, what you learned about love and marriage growing up, and what each of you wants your future to look like.

Together, we’ll:

Talk about the big stuff. Money, kids, careers, sex, family, values, responsibilities, independence, and your future.
Understand your differences. You don’t have to agree on everything. We’ll get curious about where your expectations come from and what matters to each of you.
Notice your patterns. We’ll better understand what happens between you and what each of you needs to feel heard and connected.
Practice hard conversations. You’ll learn how to communicate what you need and work through differences together.
Prepare for change. We’ll build skills you can continue using as your relationship grows and changes.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before getting married. My goal is for you to leave Premarital Counseling feeling more confident, connected, and prepared for what comes next
together.

My Approach to Premarital Counseling

What The first few Sessions Look like

1. We Build Safety First

In our first session, we'll meet together and talk about what brings you to couples therapy, what feels difficult right now, and what you both hope will change

Before we jump into changing anything, I want to get to know you.
That means building trust, creating a space where you don't feel judged, and helping you feel comfortable enough to be honest about what's really going on.
I know therapy can feel vulnerable, so I don't expect you to tell me everything on day one.
We'll move at a pace that feels safe.

2. We Get Curious

One thing you'll probably notice is that I ask a lot of questions. Not because I'm looking for the "right" answer... But because I genuinely want to understand you.

After that, I typically meet with each partner individually. This gives me a chance to better understand each of your experiences,

We'll explore things like:

your relationships
your family
your childhood
your emotional experiences
the ways you've learned to cope
what your nervous system has experienced
what has shaped who you are today

I'm less interested in asking "What's wrong with you? "I'm much more interested in asking,"What happened to you?" and "how did the relationships in your life influence the way you connect with others today?"

3. WE TALK ABOUT THE LIFE YOU’RE BUILDING

Premarital counseling gives us space to talk about the things that can be easy to assume you’re on the same page about until you realize you’ve never actually talked about them.

We’ll explore questions around:

marriage & your future — What does marriage mean to each of you? What kind of life do you actually want to build together?
money, careers & lifestyle — How will you handle finances? What happens if one career takes priority? What kind of lifestyle do you want?
kids, family & traditions — Do you want children? What kind of parents do you want to be? How involved will your families be?
sex, connection & independence — What helps you feel loved? How much time do you want together versus apart? How will you keep your relationship connected over time?
everyday life — Where do you want to live? Who cooks? Who cleans? How will you divide responsibilities and make decisions together?

You don’t need to have the same answer to every question.

The goal is to get curious about your similarities and differences, uncover expectations you may not realize you have, and make sure you’re having the conversations that matter before marriage.

Then I would actually change the next two steps slightly for the premarital page so the progression feels natural:

4. WE BUILD AWARENESS

As we have these conversations, we’ll start noticing where you naturally align and where you may have different expectations.

Instead of deciding who is right, we’ll slow things down and get curious:

What matters most to each of us?
Where did this expectation come from?
What do we need from each other?
Is there something we’ve been assuming instead of actually talking about?

Understanding those differences gives you more choice in how you want to build your relationship together.

5. WE PRACTICE HAVING THE HARD CONVERSATIONS

Premarital counseling isn’t about leaving with every part of your future figured out. It’s about knowing how to keep talking when life changes or you don’t agree.

Together, we’ll practice communicating what you need, listening without immediately becoming defensive, navigating differences, setting boundaries with family, making decisions as a team, and coming back together after conflict.

Because you’re going to encounter questions in marriage that aren’t on any premarital checklist.

My goal is for you to leave knowing, “We may not always have the same answer, but we know how to talk about it together.”

MEET YOUR DENVER PREMARITAL COUNSELOR

Hi, I'm Rachel but you can call me Ray

help couples prepare for marriage by talking about the things that matter—communication, conflict, family, finances, intimacy, and the future you want to build together.

I’m passionate about helping couples understand each other more deeply and create their own version of a healthy marriage.

You don’t have to have problems to come to premarital counseling. I’m here to help you feel more connected, confident, and prepared for the life you’re building together.

"I wholeheartedly recommend Rachel Sailer for couples, families, or individuals seeking therapy. She brings a rare combination of clinical skill, warmth, and authenticity to her practice. Her ability to create a safe, nonjudgmental space allows clients to explore difficult emotions while feeling genuinely supported and understood. You are in excellent hands with Rachel."

With Love From: Chloé

"HER ABILITY TO CREATE A SAFE, NONJUDGMENTAL SPACE ALLOWS CLIENTS TO EXPLORE DIFFICULT EMOTIONS WHILE FEELING GENUINELY SUPPORTED AND UNDERSTOOD."

"Rachel brings authenticity, dedication, and a genuine desire to help her clients into her clinical work. Her attachment and systemic-based approach helps clients heal and grow in a safe and well-informed space." -

With Love From: Sophie

"HER ATTACHMENT AND SYSTEMIC-BASED APPROACH HELPS CLIENTS HEAL AND GROW IN A SAFE AND WELL-INFORMED SPACE."

"Rachel is among the most dedicated and passionate clinicians I've had the pleasure of working with. She is constantly adding new knowledge and skills to her attachment-based approach, making her an adept therapist for couples, parents, and individuals."

With Love From: Jeremy

"SHE IS CONSTANTLY ADDING NEW KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO HER ATTACHMENT-BASED APPROACH, MAKING HER AN ADEPT THERAPIST FOR COUPLES, PARENTS, AND INDIVIDUALS."

(Next)

Kind Words

(Previous)

Frequently Asked Questions ABout Therapy

How do we know if we need premarital counseling and how do we know if we could be a good fit?

You don’t have to be on the verge of breaking up to benefit from couples therapy. It may be time to reach out when you still care about your relationship, but what you’ve been trying on your own isn’t creating the change you want.

Couples therapy can give you a space to understand each other differently, work through things that feel hard to navigate alone, and strengthen your relationship before problems become even bigger.

I offer a free 20-minute consultation where we can talk about what’s bringing you to couples therapy, what you’re looking for, and whether we could be a good fit.

Not sure what to look for in a therapist? Check out my blog for finding the right therapist.

How many premarital counseling sessions will we need?

You don’t need to be having problems to come to premarital counseling. It can simply be a space to talk about the things you haven’t talked about yet, explore your expectations for marriage, and better understand each other.

I encourage couples to give the first 1–5 sessions to see how the fit feels. Both of you should feel heard, understood, and comfortable being honest. I want you to find the right premarital counselor for both of you—even if that isn’t me.

If it feels like a good fit I recommend planning for around 10–20 sessions (then reevaluate) depending on what you’re working through and the changes you want to make. Every couple is different, so there isn’t a set number of sessions that works for everyone.

Do you offer premarital counseling for people who are religious?

You’re welcome to bring your religious beliefs, spirituality, values, and traditions into premarital counseling if they’re important to you or your relationship.

I’m not a pastor, priest, or faith-based counselor, and I’m not affiliated with a church or religious organization. I don’t specialize in religious or pastoral premarital counseling, but I’m happy to help you explore how your beliefs and values may shape the marriage you want to create.

You also don’t need to be engaged or have a wedding planned to start premarital counseling. You can come at any point in your relationship even if you’re simply exploring whether marriage or long-term commitment is right for you.

Do you offer in-person and virtual couples therapy?

Yes! I offer both in-person and virtual couples therapy to give you options for what works best with your schedules.

I offer in-person sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays and virtual sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

We can talk during your free consultation about which option works best for both of you.

What are your fees, and do you accept insurance?

I am a private-pay practice and do not accept insurance.

(50 minutes Session: $160
(90 minutes) Session $240

If you have out-of-network benefits, I'm happy to provide a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. I also offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can discuss your goals, answer your questions, and see if we're a good fit before scheduling your first session.

OTHER SERVICE I OFFER

Couples Therapy