Understanding the SYMBIS Assessment: A Modern Approach to Building Strong Marriages

When it comes to creating a strong, lasting marriage, the SYMBIS Assessment (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) has become one of the most effective tools for couples, especially those preparing for marriage. Developed by relationship experts Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, the SYMBIS Assessment offers a comprehensive, research-based evaluation that helps couples explore key areas of their relationship before walking down the aisle. With its engaging and personalized approach, SYMBIS can also be used to strengthen existing marriages.

What is the SYMBIS Assessment?

SYMBIS is a modern premarital and marital tool that evaluates a couple's strengths and potential challenges across various relationship aspects. It stands out because it tailors its questions and feedback based on the individual responses of each partner, making the process highly personal. By focusing on psychological, emotional, and practical areas of a relationship, SYMBIS provides couples with insights into how their personalities, expectations, and past experiences influence their current and future relationship dynamics.

The SYMBIS Assessment examines three primary areas:

1. Self-awareness: Helping individuals understand their own personality traits, preferences, and patterns that shape how they relate to others.
2. Partner-awareness: Encouraging partners to gain insights into each other’s expectations, values, and needs.
3. Relationship-awareness: Offering practical feedback on communication styles, conflict resolution, financial habits, and emotional intimacy.

Why Couples Choose SYMBIS

One of the key reasons couples gravitate toward SYMBIS is its ability to prevent future marital issues by addressing potential red flags early on. Whether used as a premarital counseling tool or as part of marriage enrichment, it helps couples understand their relationship on a deeper level, often revealing areas that might not have been discussed before.

Key Areas Covered in the SYMBIS Assessment:

1. Money Matters: One of the leading causes of conflict in relationships is financial disagreements. SYMBIS dives deep into how each partner views money, whether they are spenders or savers, and how they can navigate financial decisions together.

2. Personality Compatibility: SYMBIS assesses how each partner’s personality impacts the relationship. It considers traits such as introversion vs. extroversion, thinking vs. feeling, and provides a framework for understanding how differences can either complement or challenge the partnership.

3. Communication Styles: Good communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship, and SYMBIS emphasizes this by helping couples identify their communication patterns. The assessment provides personalized feedback on how to improve conversation, conflict resolution, and emotional expression.

4. Conflict Resolution: SYMBIS helps couples understand their conflict styles, whether they are conflict avoiders or confrontational. It provides strategies to manage disagreements healthily and effectively.

5. Expectations and Roles: The assessment also explores expectations around gender roles, household responsibilities, and parenting, ensuring both partners are on the same page.

How SYMBIS Works

The SYMBIS process is simple but impactful. Here’s how it typically works:

1. Find a SYMBIS Certified Facilitator: Like other structured assessments (e.g., Prepare/Enrich Facilitators), SYMBIS requires the guidance of a certified facilitator. Many pastors, counselors, and marriage coaches offer SYMBIS as part of their premarital or marital counseling services.

2. Take the Online Assessment: Couples complete the SYMBIS assessment online, answering questions individually. The assessment usually takes around 30 minutes, but it provides deep insights into each partner’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.

3. Receive Personalized Feedback: After completing the assessment, the facilitator generates a personalized report that outlines the couple’s strengths and areas for growth. The facilitator then guides the couple through the results, offering practical exercises and strategies to help strengthen their relationship.

The Benefits of SYMBIS

1. Research-Based: SYMBIS is grounded in over 20 years of research on marriage and relationships, making it a trusted tool for relationship experts.

2. Easy to Use: The online assessment is user-friendly and designed to be engaging, so couples can complete it at their own pace.

3. Action-Oriented: SYMBIS doesn’t just identify potential challenges; it offers practical solutions. Couples receive exercises and actionable strategies to address their specific issues, whether it’s communication, finances, or conflict resolution.

4. Strengthens Communication: By fostering deep, meaningful conversations, SYMBIS helps couples build a stronger foundation of trust, empathy, and understanding.

Why SYMBIS Stands Out

SYMBIS sets itself apart from other premarital and marital tools by focusing on both prevention and growth. It’s not just about resolving current issues, but also about giving couples the tools they need to prevent problems from arising in the future. The emphasis on self-awareness, partner-awareness, and relationship-awareness makes SYMBIS a powerful tool for helping couples navigate the complexities of marriage.

Another unique aspect of SYMBIS is that it’s designed to be fun and engaging. The insights provided are not just academic but practical and easily applicable to everyday life. This approach makes SYMBIS ideal for younger couples preparing for marriage and for established couples looking to refresh their relationship.

Conclusion

The SYMBIS Assessment is more than just a tool—it’s a journey into deeper self-discovery, partner understanding, and relationship building. By taking the time to understand how personality traits, financial habits, and communication styles shape their relationship, couples are better equipped to create a strong and lasting marriage. Whether you're engaged, newly married, or seeking to enrich an established relationship, SYMBIS can offer you the personalized insights and strategies you need for a more fulfilling life together.

For those interested in diving deeper, working with a certified SYMBIS facilitator can help you unlock the full potential of this assessment and give you the tools for a happy and successful marriage.