Olivia Shalaby

St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is excited to introduce a new six-week Marriage Preparation Program designed to help engaged couples build a strong faith-filled foundation for lifelong partnership. Endorsed by the Archdiocese, this program reflects St. Raphael Counseling’s commitment to supporting healthy marriages through supporting healthy marriages by combining sound psychological science with Catholic teaching Catholic teaching.

St. Raphael Counseling provides compassionate, professional mental health services rooted in the dignity of the human person and the hope of healing. Our licensed clinicians serve individuals, couples, families and students through counseling that integrates evidence-based care with respect for the Catholic understanding of the whole person—mind, body and spirit.

The marriage preparation program is clinician-led and uses the trusted PREPARE/ENRICH framework, an evidence-based assessment and enrichment tool widely used in marriage preparation. Couples begin by completing the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment which helps identify strengths, growth areas and shared goals. From there a licensed clinician from St. Raphael Counseling guides couples through six structured sessions that are both practical and deeply personal.

Each week focuses on a core aspect of married life. Couples develop healthy communication skills, learning how to listen with empathy, and speak with clarity and respect. Sessions on conflict resolution equip couples with tools to navigate disagreements constructively rather than avoid them. The program also addresses finances, helping couples have honest conversations about budgeting values and financial decision-making before marriage.

Recognizing marriage as both a human and spiritual vocation, St. Raphael Counseling intentionally weaves in conversations about faith, intimacy and companionship. Couples reflect on how shared faith can strengthen their bond, how emotional and physical intimacy can grow over time, and how friendship and mutual support sustain marriage through life’s challenges.

Throughout the six weeks couples benefit from the guidance of a trained clinician who creates a safe supportive environment for open dialogue. The result is not only preparation for a wedding day but formation for a marriage rooted in communication, trust, faith and love.

St. Raphael Counseling’s new Marriage Prep Program offers couples a meaningful Archdiocese-approved pathway to begin a fruitful married life.

The first session of St. Raphael Counseling’s Marriage Prep Program runs from January 15 through February 19 and is currently full. The next session is anticipated to begin around Easter, offering additional couples the opportunity to participate.

After struggling to find the right fit with other Catholic and Christian counselors, Christine Jensen was matched with a therapist at St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Denver that integrates professional mental health care with the truths of the Catholic faith.

That trust in St. Raphael soon extended to her twin daughters. Midway through fifth grade at Blessed Sacrament, the school counselor from St. Raphael, Kim Mack began meeting regularly with the girls. She recognized signs that the twins might benefit from neurological testing and connected the family with a grant-funded program at St. Raphael. “It was such a gift,” their mother said. “We’d been searching for years but testing cost at least $2,000 per child and wasn’t covered by insurance. To receive it completely through a grant was a blessing.”

The evaluations confirmed ADHD and social communication challenges. With that clarity, the family could finally move forward with targeted support. St. Raphael therapists provided strategies that resonated deeply with the girls. Clara, one of the twins, especially benefited from the school psychiatrist Dr. Christina’s teaching tools, like the “slinky brain” method to encourage flexible thinking and simple social scripts to navigate tricky peer interactions.

About St. Raphael Counseling

St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Denver, provides Christ-centered counseling services that integrate mental health expertise with Catholic teaching. Serving individuals, couples and families, St. Raphael offers therapy18 Catholic schools, supporting more than 4,200 students a year as well as parishes and clinics throughout Colorado. Its mission is to bring healing and hope by caring for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—rooted in the love of Christ.

Beyond counseling techniques, faith made all the difference. When a secular therapist dismissed Clara’s instinct to forgive to move forward from a conflict, her mother felt disheartened. “Forgiveness is central to healing, we know that in our faith. At St. Raphael, we knew we could trust the care to align with our values.”

As Clara and Sophia finish their final year at Blessed Sacrament and look ahead to high school, Christine is confident they are equipped with the tools to navigate their diagnoses—grounded in the faith-filled support they received through St. Raphael.

“They’ve grown so much and even teach me ways to manage my anxieties sometimes,” their mother said. “We couldn’t have asked for better support.”

At Catholic schools across Denver, one lesson stands out above all: relationships matter. Students aren’t just learning math, reading or art—they’re learning how to be part of a community, how to navigate challenges and how to care for one another.

“Positive connections have a profound impact on a child’s development,” says Liz Rahn, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and school counselor at St. Raphael, Notre Dame and Blessed Sacrament schools. “Children learn by watching and imitating those around them, especially their peers.”

From the soccer field to the art studio, from youth groups to service projects, students have countless opportunities to practice teamwork, empathy and communication. Even unstructured playtime with friends becomes a classroom for life skills—sharing, taking risks and understanding others’ perspectives.

In conversations with students, Liz hears the same message repeatedly: friendships matter. “They tell me their friends make them feel supported. They share stories of learning new skills, tackling tough problems or finding better ways to express their feelings,” she says.

Parents play a critical role, too. By encouraging participation in school activities, parish youth groups and peer play, families help children strengthen their social and emotional well-being. These connections lay the foundation for healthy, meaningful relationships that will last a lifetime.

Through friendships, teamwork and community engagement, St. Raphael Counseling helps students grow not only academically but socially and emotionally—learning lessons that will shape the rest of their lives.

About St. Raphael Counseling

St. Raphael Counseling, the largest Catholic therapy practice in the country, offers a wide range of services, including individual therapy, school counseling, couples counseling and family therapy. We also provide evaluations for learning difficulties, attention problems and autism in a timely, thoughtful way that supports children and their families. With flexible scheduling, insurance options and a sliding scale, we make care accessible. St. Raphael Counseling

In addition, our St. Raphael school counseling program serves students in individual and group counseling sessions, exploring emotions, overcoming challenges and developing essential life skills. Last year alone, 10,000 counseling hours were committed to the well-being of students at Catholic schools. St. Raphael Counseling

The heart of our school counseling mission focuses on student needs, from developmental challenges to technology-induced anxiety and everything in between. We prioritize holistic support, including efforts in areas such as suicide prevention and parent-child engagement. Through individual sessions, group interventions and classroom lessons, counselors equip students with coping strategies and social-emotional skills.

By fostering a collaborative environment, St. Raphael Counseling aims to reassure parents that seeking help for their children is a positive step. Our efforts have led to notable outcomes, including a crossover of parents seeking counseling services for themselves, inspired by their children’s experiences.