Premarital & Foundational Couples Counseling
Beach Cities Psychotherapy
Serving the South Bay Communities of Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Torrance, Palos Verdes and surrounding Beach Cities.
We will get in the trenches with you and help you get to the root. We are not nodding-head therapists.
Build a Strong Relationship—On Purpose
Most couples spend months planning a wedding, a move, or a future together—but very little time learning the skills that actually sustain a healthy relationship.
Premarital and foundational couples counseling at Beach Cities Psychotherapy is designed to help couples slow down, understand each other more deeply, and build the communication and emotional tools that support a strong, lasting partnership.
Whether you’re engaged, newly married, considering a long-term commitment, or simply want to be intentional about your relationship, this work is about creating a solid foundation and addressing problems before they take root.
Why Do Premarital Counseling If Things Are Going Well?
Many couples seek therapy only after patterns of conflict, disconnection, or resentment have already developed. Foundational counseling is different—it’s proactive rather than reactive.
Research shows that couples who participate in structured premarital education programs reduce their risk of divorce by approximately 30% and report stronger communication, conflict resolution, and relationship satisfaction over time.
This isn’t about fixing something that’s broken.
It’s about strengthening something that matters.
Our Approach: The Prepare/Enrich Program
At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we use Prepare/Enrich, one of the most widely researched and evidence-based relationship assessment tools available.
Prepare/Enrich helps couples:
Identify relationship strengths to build on
Understand personality and communication differences
Best Divorce Therapist
Learn how to navigate conflict in healthy ways
Best Divorce Therapist
Explore values around finances, family, intimacy, and roles
Best Divorce Therapist
Develop shared expectations for the future
Best Divorce Therapist
Address stress, life transitions, and decision-making as a team
Best Divorce Therapist
Through a customized assessment and guided conversations with your therapist, you’ll gain insight into patterns that often go unspoken—but shape relationships profoundly.
This Is Not “Wedding Counseling.”
This work applies to couples in many stages, including:
✔ Engaged couples preparing for marriage
✔ Couples moving in together or blending families
✔ Newly married partners wanting to start strong
✔ Long-term couples who never had the chance to build these skills
✔ Partners seeking clarity and alignment before making a deeper commitment
Think of it as relationship education + therapy + skill-building—all tailored to you.
What Sessions Look Like
Your therapist will guide you through:
- Prepare/Enrich Assessment – A research-based relationship inventory completed individually.
- Personalized Feedback Sessions – Explore strengths, growth areas, and relationship dynamics.
- Skill-Building Conversations – Learn tools for communication, conflict repair, emotional connection, and shared problem-solving.
- Practical Strategies – Apply what you learn to real-life situations, not just theory.
The process is structured but flexible, typically completed over 6–8 sessions, depending on your goals.
What Makes This Different From Couples Therapy?
| Traditional Couples Therapy | Premarital / Foundational Counseling |
| Focuses on repairing distress | Focuses on building strength early |
| Often begins after conflict escalates | Begins while relationship is healthy |
| Problem-driven | Growth-driven |
| Looks backward | Builds forward |
Both are valuable—but they serve different purposes.
An Investment in Your Future Together
Healthy relationships don’t happen by accident.
They are built through understanding, intention, and skills that can be learned.
Premarital and foundational counseling gives couples the opportunity to:
- Communicate more clearly
- Navigate differences with respect
- Feel more secure and connected
- Enter marriage or commitment with confidence
- Prevent small issues from becoming lasting fractures
What If We Need Couples Therapy Too?
You’re in the right place. We offer Couples Therapy at Beach Cities Psychotherapy too and you will have a clean understanding of what you need to work on to better the relationship.
Sometimes, Premarital/Foundational Counseling is a check-up and a tune-up. Other times, it becomes the jumping off point to address issues clearly identified in the Foundational work.
Offered at Beach Cities Psychotherapy
This service is provided by trained Prepare/Enrich facilitators at our South Bay offices and via telehealth across California.
We serve couples in:
Hermosa Beach • Redondo Beach • Manhattan Beach • El Segundo • Torrance • Palos Verdes • and surrounding communities.
Schedule a Consultation
If you’re ready to be intentional about your relationship, we invite you to begin.
Contact us to schedule an initial consultation and learn whether Premarital & Foundational Couples Counseling is the right fit for you.
Proactive, research-based premarital counseling using the Prepare/Enrich assessment helps couples strengthen communication, align values, and build a resilient foundation before problems take root.
Why Beach Cities Psychotherapy?
Are you looking for a therapist who lights pretty candles, smiles and nods while you talk about the same problems week after week?
If you are, that’s not us.
At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we ask the challenging questions and get in the trenches with you. Sometimes trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, or identity issues get in our way.
You may feel empty, broken or even worthless when other people may think you have it all. We help you make the shifts you need to live the life you want and feel able to appreciate it.
Our goal at Beach Cities Psychotherapy is to cultivate change and healing by asking you the hard questions, addressing the areas where you are stuck, and confronting pain with treatment and healing.
We are direct, hands-on and we value humor above candles. Our therapists are not scared of your pain, your fear, your struggles.
We will delve beneath the surface when you are ready.
We value your mental health, your time and your resources too much to talk about the same problems in the same ways that you always have.
Often people come to Beach Cities Psychotherapy when they feel like other therapists have skimmed the surface and they need more.
We want to help you heal and find the clarity you need in your life.
Meet Your Therapists:
Julia Callas, AMFT
For teens who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, or big emotions—and for couples who want to build a strong foundation before marriage—Julia Callas is steady, warm, and practical. Julia helps clients feel understood while also offering clear tools and structure to create real change.
Julia is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. She earned her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Hope International University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Cal State Long Beach.
Julia sees clients in-person in our offices and also offers telehealth across California. She is working under the supervision of Whitney Boole, LMFT #93107.
Read her full bio here.
We Offer Walk and Talk Therapy
Our location offers us a unique opportunity to bring clients to the beach in Hermosa for sessions by the ocean when clients request it.
Walking during therapy creates an alternating rhythm of our steps on the pavement and stimulates alternating sides of our brain which facilitates processing.
Fresh air and nature are also helpful to healing. Moving when we feel stuck can also help us to move through life’s obstacles and create a tangible, very real momentum that is both literal and metaphorical.
While our therapists also work with clients in the office, Walk & Talk sessions are beneficial for clients who don’t want to sit on a sofa for an hour. It’s okay to alternate between Walk and Talk sessions and in-office sessions.
Our therapists understand that not every day feels like a good day for a walk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which payment methods are accepted?
Payments can be made with cash, check, credit card, or Zelle.
What is the cost of psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy fees vary depending on which therapist you select to work with as well as which service you are seeking. Feel free to contact us to discuss the exact fee.
Are psychotherapy fees covered by health insurance?
We are not in-network with any insurance companies. If you have a PPO plan or a plan with out-of-network benefits, your insurance company may reimburse you for services. This means that you will be responsible to pay for our services up-front and then we provide you with forms to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
You can check your specific mental health benefits with your health insurance and ask the following questions:
- Do I have benefits for outpatient psychotherapy services with an out-of-network provider?
- Do I have a deductible and has it been met? If my deductible has not been met, what deductible needs to be met for insurance to reimburse?
- What will insurance reimburse after that deductible has been met and what do I need to do or provide in order to get reimbursed?
- How many psychotherapy sessions will be covered per year?
We Make Getting Started Easy
Step 1. Reach Out
Step 2. Schedule Your First Session
Step 3. Feel Like You Again
