Premarital Counseling · Billings, MT
Start Your Marriage on the Strongest Foundation Possible.
Premarital counseling in Billings, MT using the Prepare & Enrich Assessment. The best investment you can make before your wedding day — for the marriage that comes after it.
Premarital counseling is not covered by insurance and is billed at our self-pay rate of $180 per session. Most couples complete 5–8 sessions. See our full rates page for details.
An Investment in Your Future
Congratulations. Now Let's Talk About the Marriage.
The engagement is exciting — the flowers, the ring, the planning, the celebration. And all of that is worth savoring. But the wedding is one day. The marriage is the rest of your life.
Premarital counseling isn't about fixing problems — it's about preventing them. Research consistently shows that couples who invest in premarital counseling have significantly lower divorce rates and higher reported satisfaction in their marriages. The conversations you have before you say "I do" shape the foundation you build everything else on.
At Brighter Sky Counseling, premarital counseling is led by Grady Johnson, LMFT, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified facilitator of the Prepare & Enrich Assessment — one of the most widely used and research-backed premarital programs in the world.
You don't have to have problems to benefit from premarital counseling. The couples who get the most out of it are the ones who come in strong and want to stay that way.
Topics You'll Explore Together
What Premarital Counseling Covers
The Prepare & Enrich Assessment opens honest conversations across the areas that matter most — before they become sources of conflict.
Communication
How you talk to each other — and how you don't. Patterns that work, patterns that don't, and the specific skills that keep communication open when things get hard.
Conflict Resolution
Every couple fights. The question is whether your conflicts bring you closer or drive you apart. You'll learn how your styles differ and how to navigate disagreement without damage.
Financial Management
Money is one of the top drivers of marital conflict. You'll explore your individual money styles, values, and expectations — and build a shared approach before those differences become battles.
Family & Friends
How your families of origin shape your expectations, where you'll set boundaries, how you'll handle holidays and in-laws, and how your friendship networks will fit into married life.
Sexual Expectations
Honest, therapist-guided conversation about intimacy, expectations, and what physical connection means to each of you — before unspoken assumptions create distance.
Spiritual Beliefs & Values
Whether you share a faith tradition or not, values shape everything. You'll explore what each of you believes, how those beliefs affect daily life, and where you're aligned — and where you're not.
Leisure & Lifestyle
How you want to spend your time together and apart, what rest looks like, social rhythms, and the small daily habits that either connect or divide couples over time.
Partner Style & Habits
The quirks, patterns, and personality traits that make each of you who you are — and how understanding each other's styles builds flexibility and appreciation rather than frustration.
Roles & Responsibilities
Who does what, and who decides what. Expectations about household work, decision-making, careers, and children — areas where unstated assumptions often become the biggest sources of friction.
The Assessment Tool
The Prepare & Enrich Program
Used with over 4 million couples worldwide, Prepare & Enrich is a research-based assessment that gives couples a personalized, data-driven starting point for their premarital work — not generic advice, but a custom picture of your specific relationship.
Personalized Results
Each partner completes the assessment independently. Your combined results reveal your unique strengths and growth areas as a couple.
Research-Backed
Developed over decades of relationship research. Used by therapists, clergy, and counselors across the world with proven outcomes.
Conversation Starter
The assessment doesn't give you a score — it opens conversations. Topics you might never have thought to discuss on your own.
Completed Before Session 2
You'll complete it online after your first session. Grady reviews your results and builds your ongoing sessions around what matters most for your relationship.
Covers 9 Core Areas
Communication, conflict, finances, family, intimacy, spirituality, leisure, personality, and roles — a comprehensive map of your life together.
Strengths-Based
The focus isn't on what's wrong — it's on what's already strong and what has room to grow. You'll leave knowing more about each other than you did going in.
The Process
What to Expect
Here's exactly how premarital counseling works at BSC — from your first call to your final session.
You Reach Out & Get Scheduled
Contact us through the website or by phone. We'll get you scheduled with Grady Johnson, our LMFT and certified Prepare & Enrich facilitator. We recommend starting 3–6 months before your wedding date to give the process room to breathe — but earlier is always better.
Session 1: Getting to Know You
Your first session is a conversation — about your relationship history, what you love about each other, and what you each hope to get from premarital counseling. Grady will also walk you through the Prepare & Enrich Assessment so you know what to expect. After this session, you'll each receive a link to complete the assessment independently online.
You Complete the Assessment
Each partner completes the Prepare & Enrich Assessment on their own, before Session 2. It takes about 30–45 minutes. Grady reviews the combined results and identifies the themes and areas most worth exploring with you as a couple.
Sessions 2+: Working Through What Matters
Starting in Session 2, Grady walks you through your results together — what they reveal, what they open up, and what deserves more conversation. Ongoing sessions explore the nine areas of the assessment, building skills and deepening understanding in the places that matter most for your specific relationship.
5–8 Sessions Total
Most couples complete premarital counseling in 5–8 sessions, meeting weekly or bi-weekly. Grady will give you an honest sense of what's right for you after your first couple of sessions.
Your Therapist
Grady Johnson
LMFT · Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist · Prepare & Enrich Certified Facilitator
Grady Johnson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the primary provider for premarital counseling at Brighter Sky Counseling. As a certified facilitator of the Prepare & Enrich Assessment, Grady is specifically trained to guide couples through this evidence-based program in a way that's warm, practical, and genuinely useful.
Grady's approach to premarital counseling isn't about lecturing couples on what marriage should look like — it's about helping each couple understand themselves and each other more clearly, build better communication habits, and enter marriage with eyes open and skills ready. The goal is a stronger, more resilient partnership — starting now.
You can learn more about Grady on his bio page.
Investment & Logistics
What Premarital Counseling Costs
$180
Per session · Self-pay only
Premarital counseling is not covered by health insurance — this is standard across the industry. Insurance covers individually diagnosed mental health conditions; premarital counseling is a relationship investment and falls outside that coverage.
We charge $180 per session, billed at the time of service. Most couples complete 5–8 sessions, which means a total investment of roughly $900–$1,440 depending on your needs. For most couples, that's less than the flowers at their wedding — and it lasts considerably longer.
Scheduling note: Premarital counseling with Grady is based on his availability and a waitlist may apply. We recommend reaching out at least 3–6 months before your wedding date. Visit our rates page for more details.
Common Questions
FAQ: Premarital Counseling in Billings, MT
When should we start premarital counseling?
We recommend starting 3–6 months before your wedding date. This gives you enough time to complete the full Prepare & Enrich program without rushing, and leaves space to actually practice what you're learning before the wedding. That said, earlier is always better — and if your wedding is sooner, reach out anyway and we'll work with your timeline.
Do we have to have problems to come to premarital counseling?
Not at all — in fact, the couples who benefit most are often the ones who are doing well and want to stay that way. Premarital counseling isn't crisis intervention. It's a proactive investment in your relationship. The research is clear: couples who do premarital work have stronger, longer-lasting marriages than those who don't.
What is the Prepare & Enrich Assessment exactly?
It's an online questionnaire each partner completes independently before your second session. It takes about 30–45 minutes and covers nine key areas of relationship life. Your combined results generate a personalized report that Grady uses to structure your sessions. You can learn more at prepare-enrich.com.
Can we do premarital counseling via telehealth?
Yes. Grady offers secure video sessions available to couples anywhere in Montana. Both partners need to be present and in a private location for each session. In-person sessions are available at our Billings office for those who prefer it.
We're not religious — is premarital counseling still for us?
Absolutely. The Prepare & Enrich program is used in both religious and secular contexts, and Grady's approach is not faith-based. Spiritual beliefs are one of nine areas covered — and if it's not relevant to your relationship, it takes up proportionally less of your time.
Do you work with LGBTQIA+ couples?
Yes, fully. Brighter Sky Counseling is an affirming practice and welcomes all couples regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or relationship structure. Grady works with all couples with the same warmth, expertise, and zero judgment about what your relationship looks like.
Take the First Step
Give Your Marriage the Best Possible Start.
You're already planning the wedding. Now invest in the marriage. Reach out to schedule your first session with Grady Johnson — and start the most important conversation you'll have before your big day.
Get Started Today$180 per session · Self-pay · Billings, MT & telehealth statewide