Equipping Engaged Couples
Marriage is God’s gift to us, designed for his glory and for our joy. Because of the effort and intentionality it takes to steward this gift well, Biola’s Center for Marriage and Relationships encourages dating and engaged couples to build a foundation for marriage through premarital education and counseling.
Couples that receive premarital education have a 31 percent lower chance of divorce. Research demonstrates that premarital education and counseling is highly effective in lowering the chance of divorce, lowering levels of destructive conflicts, increasing levels of marital satisfaction and increasing levels of interpersonal commitment to spouses.
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Our passion is to equip couples with biblical wisdom and practical tips for healthy relationships. We offer several premarital resources, including:
ONLINE MEDIA RESOURCES
Our goal is to help you build a strong foundation for a happy, healthy and God-honoring marriage, by providing biblical wisdom and scholarly insights through our blogs, videos and assessments. We also offer free access to relevant educational content including class sessions, conferences, chapels and articles on Youtube. To access our newest resources, visit our blog.
Free Relationship Advice Hours
Receive free relationship advice from the CMR! This is not formal counseling therapy, but rather an opportunity to bring your questions to a trusted, trained individual who can offer wise, biblical counsel on any relationship issues.
Relationship Advice hours are offered on:
- MONDAYS - 9:30 am - 11:30 am
- TUESDAYS- 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (virtual)
- WEDNESDAYS - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 - 3:00 pm (virtual)
- THURSDAYS -9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Click here to make an appointment online. You can also make an appointment by calling us at 562-903-4708 or emailing cmr@biola.edu.
The CMR office is located directly to the left of the Biola Cafeteria.
Premarital Counseling Small Groups
The premarital counseling small group program provides engaged and seriously dating couples with access to professional, low-cost premarital counseling by trained and licensed therapists. This program is open to couples within the Biola community (at least one person in the partnership has to be a current undergraduate or graduate student). The small group is held each semester and during the summer as well. Each small group consists of 4 couples. Please be aware that we have a limited capacity for our group.
Group Details
- Date/Time: Mondays, 4:00-5:30pm. The group runs for 9 weeks during the spring and fall semesters, as well as during the summer
- Location: Biola Counseling Center
- Cost: $90 total per couple ($10 per session!)
- The cost includes a $50 value PREPARE/ENRICH relationship assessment, courtesy of the CMR! In addition to the 8 group meetings, every couple will receive an individual one hour session with one of the therapists.
Interested in participating? Complete the inquiry form below, or call the CMR (x4708) and/or the BCC at 562-903-4800.
Premarital Counseling Referrals
Premarital counseling (or premarital education) usually involves a trained individual or couple, including pastors and lay leaders in the church, who comes alongside a couple in a mentor type relationship. This type of counseling/education is not considered therapeutic and does not involve a licensed counselor or therapist.
We recommend that engaged couples seek premarital counseling from their local church pastor or marriage ministry if that is a viable option. We offer a referral list of trained premarital counselors — trusted individuals and couples open to providing premarital counseling on a volunteer basis. If you would like to request the list, please complete the inquiry form below.
Professional Counseling Referrals
Professional counseling or therapy provides couples with in-depth or professional counseling services. These services are provided by licensed individuals, such as those who hold an MFT, MFCC or a doctoral degree in counseling. If you are interested in our referral list of professional counselors, please complete the inquiry form below.
Relationship Retreats
We offer relationship retreats every spring semester for couples that are seriously dating, engaged or newly married. Visit the events page for information on upcoming retreats.