Guide Training

At OURS, we believe that the core of our work rests with our team of Guides. When couples move through our program, they are doing so with the support and love of our Guide Team. From the moment they complete the Welcome Survey until they say goodbye, they will be connected with their Guide.

What is a “Guide”?

The OURS Guide supports couples as they move through the premarital experience with OURS. When a couple signs up for the program and schedules, they are matched with a Guide. From that point on, the couple will be interacting with their Guide. During the Welcome Session, the Guide helps the couple to explore their relationship, to discover strengths and to better understand any areas of concern. The Guide then provides feedback to the couple regarding where they should focus throughout the program - this is called The Roadmap.

As the couple moves through their Roadmap, they complete Loveware Sessions. Each time they complete a session, their Guide is there to answer any questions, provide additional resources, and challenge the couple to grow into the best version of themselves.

“I love every single couple and feel a connection to each one, it is beautiful to see love in all of the couples”.
-Guide, Stephanie Wray, LPC on working with couples at OURS

How are Guides trained?

All of our Guides go through a rigorous training process. In order to become an OURS Guide, they must first complete the OURS Internship.

The OURS Internship

In order to be accepted into the OURS internship program, Guides must have completed or be enrolled in a Masters level or higher mental health, counseling, or behavioral health program. They also go through 2 interviews and submit a video prior to being accepted. During the internship, Guides spend 6 weeks in a paid internship with our Head of Relationship Health, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT, and our Lead Guide, Nora Nova, M.Ed. to learn about the OURS program and relationship health. They complete relationship research, role play, take classes, and have direct supervision and feedback in order to make sure they are ready to meet with OURS couples.

At the end of the internship, Guides are invited to join our team where they continue to learn, train, and take feedback on how to best support their couples.

OURS Continuing Education

Training and education don’t stop at our internship. Our Guides receive weekly 1 hour training sessions that focus on the most important and current relationship health topic and interventions, 1 hour group supervision where they discuss and get support around any challenges they are facing, and weekly feedback reports. They are also provided with monthly continuing education from experts in the field outside of OURS.

The training team

Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Gottman Therapist, and Clinical Fellow of The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and is an Approved Supervisor for the AAMFT. She is also the best selling author of I Want This To Work and the creator behind the Instagram account @lizlistens. Elizabeth has over a decade of experience working with hundreds of couples throughout varying life stages. She trains therapists towards their licensure and to become approved supervisors. Elizabeth has had her thoughts on relationships be printed in The New York Times, Oprah, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and more. If she had any other job, she’d love to find a way for people to pay her to rearrange their furniture.

Nora has her Master’s in Counseling Psychology. She is a therapist who works with adult individuals and couples, and specializes in premarital couples who are looking to foster healthy relationships and strengthen their connection.

Summary

Our Guides are rigorously trained to make sure that couples are getting the best support and guidance possible. They:

• Hold Master’s Level or Higher Degrees in Mental Health, Behavioral Health, or Relationship Health
• Have completed a rigorous 6 week OURS internship program
• Attend weekly trainings and supervision on relational health
• Are provided expert led continuing education each month
• Love their couples and feel deeply passionate about supporting them