Building a Strong Foundation for a Fulfilling Marriage
Foundations – A Premarital Intensive Program
Introduction
Marriage is one of the most significant commitments two people will make, and it deserves more than a few generic conversations about communication. The Pre Marriage Intensive in Austin Empowered is designed for couples who want to enter marriage with real self-awareness, a clear understanding of each other’s inner world, and the tools to navigate what the relationship will actually ask of them.
This is not a checklist or a workbook program. It is depth work, grounded in attachment theory, the Enneagram, family-of-origin patterns, and each partner’s relational history. Couples leave with a working map of their dynamic and the patterns most likely to shape their marriage.
Fit and Screening
Every couple begins with a brief consultation conversation before booking. This ensures the program is the right clinical fit and that both partners are ready to engage in meaningful self-exploration. Couples seeking a brief or surface-level premarital experience will be referred to other providers.
Three Areas of Focus
ATTACHMENT — How you each connect, seek closeness, and respond to threat in your nervous system.
DIFFERENTIATION — How you stay yourself while staying connected, informed by your Enneagram type and family-of-origin patterns.
CONFLICT — How you fight, repair, and stay on the same team using self-regulation, the listening boundary, and Safe Conversation Dialogue.
Choose Your Tier
Four tiers are available, depth-matched to where you both are starting from. The deeper you go, the more individualized the work — and the more secure the foundation you walk into your marriage with.
All tiers are available on weekdays (Tue/Wed/Thu) at standard rates, or on Fridays for an additional $450. An optional 2-hour extended session is available across all tiers when clinically indicated.
Tier 1: Foundations Essential
5 clinical hours over 2 sessions
For couples I already know well — one or both partners have been individual clients, and the foundational history work is already done. The shorter arc honors that established context.
- Two couple sessions: 3 hours, then 2 hours
- Couple Bubble handout (Tatkin / PACT) with reflection prompts
- Attachment Style Assessment (each partner)
- A.R.E. Questionnaire (Sue Johnson / EFT) – administered live and as outcome tracking
- Boundaries Assessment
- Unmet Needs and Childhood Wounds packet (completed together in session)
- FANOS daily check-in tool (Feelings, Affirmation, Needs, Ownership, Struggles/Service)
- Feelings Wheel (one for each partner)
- Safe Conversation Dialogue Script
- Couple completes the Enneagram test ($15 outside of session) before Session 1
Tier 2: Foundations
7 clinical hours over 3 sessions
The full three-session arc — ideal for couples I know well who want the deeper Session 3 conflict and Safe Conversation work, or for couples I know less well who can build adequate context within the sessions themselves.
- Everything in Tier 1
- A third 2-hour couple session focused on productive conflict and Safe Conversation Dialogue practice using a real conflict/rupture
- Repair rituals and weekly check-in design
- A.R.E. Questionnaire re-administered at Session 3 to track shifts in bond security
- Weekly check-in template
Tier 3: Foundations Plus
7 clinical + structured intake
For couples new to me or partially known — adds a structured pre-session intake so we walk into Session 1 with the depth of context we'd otherwise build over weeks.
- Everything in Tier 2
- Personal History Intake form (each partner completes separately and returns before Session 1)
- Pre-session intake review and integration (covers Enneagram self-assessment, family-of-origin patterns, attachment history, prior significant relationships, surface-level relational trauma screen, and current stressors)
Tier 4a: Foundations Deep - Surface Individual Work
10 clinical hours over 5 sessions
For brand-new couples or those who want a deeper individual layer — adds one 90-minute individual session per partner before the couple work begins.
- Everything in Tier 3
- Two individual sessions (90 minutes each, one per partner) covering Enneagram, family-of-origin, and relational trauma at a working surface level
- Individualized Enneagram + Attachment + Family-of-Origin integration map for each partner
Tier 4b: Foundations Deep - Full Individual Work
13 clinical hours over 7 sessions
For couples who want the most thorough preparation — adds two 90-minute individual sessions per partner for a deeper look at family-of-origin and relational trauma before the couple work begins.
- Everything in Tier 3
- Four individual sessions (90 minutes each, two per partner) for a deeper look at Enneagram, family-of-origin, and relational trauma
- Comprehensive individualized integration document for each partner that weaves Enneagram, attachment, family-of-origin, and relational trauma into a working clinical map they can return to throughout their marriage
Optional Extended Session: Add to any tier when clinically indicated
2 additional clinical hours
An extended session is offered when material surfaced during the program needs more time to land safely — for example, when a significant family-of-origin wound emerges, when a couple wants additional Safe Conversation practice with a complex repair, or when a clinical moment calls for spaciousness rather than rushing.
- The extended session is offered at my discretion when clinically indicated, and is never a default upsell.
Optional Extended Session
When clinically indicated — either because more time is needed to land specific material, or because a couple wants to deepen a particular thread — an additional 2-hour extended session can be added to any tier. This recommendation is made during the work itself, allowing couples to make an informed decision based on what has actually emerged rather than a hypothetical assessment of need.
Session Structure
Tier 1 (Essentials) is a focused 2-session arc — Sessions 1 and 2 below. Tiers 2 through 4 add Session 3 for the full conflict-and-repair work. Tier 4 also adds individual sessions before the couple work begins.
What Each Couple Receives
Every couple in every tier walks away with a complete library of tools to return to throughout their marriage:
- Couple Bubble handout (PACT, Stan Tatkin)
- Attachment Style Assessment results via The Attachment Project
- A.R.E. Questionnaire results, with comparison across sessions (Tiers 2–4)
- Building Boundaries worksheet
- Unmet Needs and Childhood Wounds packet (completed in session)
- FANOS daily check-in tool
- Feelings Wheel (one per partner)
- Safe Conversation Dialogue script (Tiers 2–4)
- Weekly check-in template (Tiers 2–4)
- Personal integration documents (Tier 3 and Tier 4)
Why This Program
Most premarital counseling is generic and one-size-fits-all. Building a Strong Foundation is different in three specific ways:
Depth-matched to where you start.
The four-tier structure means you are not paying for context-building you do not need, and you are not skipping context-building you do need. We start where you actually are.
Integrated, not eclectic.
PACT, EFT, the Enneagram, polyvagal theory, family-of-origin work, trauma informed, Post Induction Therapy (PIT) and Safe Conversation Dialogue all live together in this program because they belong together. Attachment, differentiation, and conflict repair are not separate skills — they are three angles on the same foundation.
Built to outlast the wedding.
The deliverables are not handouts you read once and recycle. They are tools you return to in year three, year ten, and year thirty. The A.R.E. Questionnaire, FANOS check-in, Safe Conversation Dialogue script, and weekly check-in template, among others, are all designed to become part of the architecture of your marriage.
Your Guide in Premarital Counseling
About Cindy Austin
Cindy Austin, MS, LPC is a licensed professional counselor with more than thirty years of clinical experience. Her training spans Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Complex Trauma, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), the Enneagram, over 2,000 hours of psychodrama work/training, polyvagal theory, somatic-attachment frameworks, positive psychology, mindfulness and meditation among others. She maintains a focused private practice in Northwest Austin, working with individuals and couples who are motivated to do real, integrated work.
Testimonials
“We got so much out of premarital counseling. Going into it, we already felt very close, but the tools and guidance you provided helped us grow even closer and strengthen our relationship in ways we didn’t expect.We didn’t have any major issues to work through, but we wanted to be proactive and learn how to navigate challenges before they arise. Through counseling, we gained a much deeper understanding of each other, how we communicate, and how we each respond during stressful or emotional situations.The conversations we had helped us address potential future challenges and develop practical strategies for working through them together. We now feel much more confident in our ability to handle conflict in a healthy way, support one another, and approach difficult situations as a team.Premarital counseling gave us a stronger foundation for marriage, and we are incredibly grateful for the insight and tools we gained through the process.” ~ K & G
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