Sharing a life takes more than love
Sharing your life with another person can be deeply rewarding, but it is not always easy. Two people bring different personalities, habits, expectations, communication styles, and experiences into one relationship. Add work, finances, family responsibilities, and changing seasons, and even strong couples can struggle to stay connected.
I’m Mariaan Du Plessis, a certified Prepare & Enrich relationship facilitator. I work with couples who want to understand each other better, communicate more openly, and navigate their shared lives with greater confidence.
You don’t need to wait until your relationship reaches a crisis to learn healthier ways to work together. Prepare for marriage creates a space to pause, understand what is happening in your relationship, and develop practical skills you can carry into everyday life.
What is Prepare & Enrich?
Prepare & Enrich is an internationally recognised, research-based relationship programme designed to help couples understand their relationship more clearly.
At the heart of the programme is a personalised online assessment, completed individually by each partner. Your responses are used to create a detailed relationship report highlighting your strengths, potential areas for growth and topics that may benefit from further conversation.
This is not a test that you pass or fail. It does not determine whether you are the “perfect couple”, decide whether you are compatible, or predict the future of your relationship. Instead, the assessment provides a starting point for meaningful conversations. It helps you recognise what is already working, understand where you may experience differences, and identify practical ways to move forward together.
Who can benefit from it?
The programme can support couples through many different stages of their shared lives.
Dating and engaged couples can explore important expectations before making a long-term commitment. Newlyweds can develop practical ways to navigate the adjustments that come with sharing a home and building a life together.
Married and remarried couples may want to reconnect, communicate more effectively, or adjust to changes in their relationship. The programme also supports blended families and parents as they balance their relationship with the responsibilities of family life.
Every stage brings its own opportunities and pressures. The purpose is not to remove every disagreement, but to help you understand each other more clearly and navigate challenges as partners.
What will you explore together?
Every relationship is different, so the areas you explore will depend on your personalised results and what is most relevant to you as a couple.
Prepare & Enrich may guide conversations around communication, conflict resolution, finances, personality differences, roles and responsibilities, stress management, emotional and physical intimacy, shared goals and expectations, and the strengths already present in your relationship.
These areas rarely exist in isolation. A disagreement about household responsibilities may also involve unspoken expectations. Financial tension may be connected to different priorities or approaches to decision-making. Communication difficulties may be influenced by personality differences or stress. Exploring these connections can help you understand what lies beneath recurring disagreements and respond to each other with greater awareness.
How does the process work?
The journey begins with a complimentary 15-minute introductory call. This allows you to ask questions, briefly explain what you would like support with, and decide whether Prepare & Enrich is a good fit for you.
If you choose to continue, each partner completes a confidential online assessment individually. The results are combined into a personalised relationship report, which guides the sessions that follow.
During your face-to-face feedback sessions, you attend together and work through the relevant areas of your report with Mariaan. Each guided session is approximately 90 minutes and includes practical conversations, tools and exercises tailored to your relationship.
The number of sessions depends on your needs and goals. You move through the process at a pace that allows both partners to participate meaningfully and apply what you are learning.
How does Mariaan guide the process?
My role is not to tell you what your relationship should look like or to decide who is right or wrong.
As your facilitator, I provide a warm, confidential and supportive space where both partners have an opportunity to speak and feel heard. I help you understand your assessment results, recognise patterns and explore the experiences and expectations each of you brings into the relationship.
Some conversations can be difficult to begin without support. My role is to help you approach them with greater clarity, curiosity and respect.
Together, we identify practical ways to communicate more openly, work through differences and build on the strengths already present in your relationship. The process is shaped around you as a couple rather than following a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach.
What do we do next?
Living and growing alongside another person is an ongoing process. Relationships change as circumstances, responsibilities, and priorities change. Learning how to communicate, adapt and work together gives you practical tools for navigating those seasons as a team.
If you are curious about Prepare & Enrich, the first step is simply a conversation. A complimentary 15-minute introductory call lets you ask questions, understand the process, and decide whether it feels right for your relationship.
Book a complimentary 15-minute introductory call with Mariaan. Face-to-face sessions are available by appointment in Strand and the surrounding Helderberg area, as well as in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs on Wednesdays.
Phone: +27 72 071 7748
Email: admin@mariaan-duplessis.co.za
Website: https://mariaan-duplessis.co.za/