What Is SYMBIS?
SYMBIS stands for Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, and it’s more than just a catchy acronym. Created by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, psychologists, relationship experts, and New York Times best-selling authors, SYMBIS is a research-based, psychology-driven assessment that has helped over one million couples prepare for marriage. It’s not about fixing something that’s broken. In fact, SYMBIS is built on the idea that the strongest marriages start with strong foundations, and those foundations are built through intentional preparation.
Research shows that 41% of divorced couples say lack of premarital preparation contributed to their separation. Even more compelling: couples who go through some form of premarital education are 31% less likely to divorce. SYMBIS provides a personalized 15-page report based on each partner’s individual responses. You take the assessment separately, and a certified SYMBIS facilitator helps you review the results in a way that’s structured, neutral, and deeply insightful.
It’s not about passing or failing; it’s about starting conversations that often don’t happen until problems arise. SYMBIS brings those topics forward before they become issues, removing emotional pressure and giving you space to explore with curiosity rather than conflict.
Fifteen Essential Categories
The SYMBIS assessment explores 15 essential categories that are critical to long-term relationship success, offering couples a personalized and judgment-free framework for meaningful conversation. It begins with Marriage Mindset, helping partners clarify why they’re getting married and assess their expectations and emotional readiness. Personality Styles reveal how individual traits interact, highlighting both natural strengths and potential tensions. In the area of Communication and Conflict, couples learn how they each respond under stress and identify their default conflict styles, such as withdrawal, escalation, or criticism.
Financial Philosophies dives into money mindsets — whether you’re a spender or saver — and how your beliefs align as a couple. Sexual Expectations uncovers assumptions about intimacy and opens the door for honest, healthy dialogue. Spiritual Beliefs explores the role of faith in your relationship and how aligned your perspectives are. With Family Background and Baggage, the assessment helps uncover invisible scripts from childhood that may unconsciously shape current expectations.
Love Styles examine how each partner expresses and receives love, while Expectations and Roles clarify responsibilities in the relationship and whether they’re mutually understood. Finally, Emotional Well-Being assesses each person’s individual maturity and readiness to navigate married life. Every insight is customized to the couple, creating a roadmap tailored to their unique dynamic.
What Surprised Us
Here’s what surprised me the most: my husband is a walking caution flag. (His words, not mine!)
In our SYMBIS report, he ranked intimacy, companionship, and conversation in his top five emotional needs. That one insight provided a powerful jumping-off point. We had never explicitly talked about those needs, but suddenly we had language and data to work with.
There were no hurt feelings, no defensiveness — just honest conversation. We were both on the same page, emotionally grounded, and committed to finding solutions together. The assessment didn’t cause tension, it relieved it. It gave us permission to talk about topics that many couples avoid, and data to talk about them in a healthy, productive way.
A Roadmap, Not a Verdict
Whether you’re engaged, newly married, or even remarried, SYMBIS gives you a relationship roadmap — one that reveals potential blind spots, affirms your strengths, and equips you with practical strategies to build something lasting.
It doesn’t claim to “fix” anything. Instead, it empowers couples to make informed decisions, understand one another better, and lay a foundation of trust, clarity, and connection. In a culture where many relationships suffer from assumptions and miscommunication, SYMBIS offers something truly valuable: intentional preparation and guided conversations.
Whether you’re planning your wedding, mentoring engaged couples, or just want to make your relationship stronger, SYMBIS might just be the best next step you can take.
References
- Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) Assessment