KINGSTON, R.I. — Feb. 9, 2026 — Student couples at the University of Rhode Island are invited to participate in a free relationship assessment at the University’s Couple and Family Therapy Clinic just in time for Valentine’s Day and all the romantic expectations it brings. The first 20 couples to register this month will receive a free checkup, so students are urged to register immediately. One member of the couple must be a URI student.
Under the supervision of Department of Human Development and Family Science faculty members, graduate students from the therapy program will conduct the relationship check-ups over the course of two one-hour sessions. Prior to the first session, each individual in the couple is asked to complete an online relationship evaluation called Prepare/Enrich, which generates a profile of a couple’s strengths and areas in need of growth. The relationship inventory and skill-building tool, widely used around the world, is designed to help couples understand and improve their relationships.
Counselors will bring the couple together to review assessment results, identify relationship strengths and challenges, and make a customized plan for each couple to address the results. For a small fee, couples can continue with counseling if needed, which counselors recommend for those possibly facing challenges, according to Gina MacLure, coordinator of the Couple and Family Therapy Clinic.
“This offers a unique way for people to engage in couples counseling,” said MacLure, who notes that counseling is not only for relationships that may be in trouble. “Often with couples counseling, people don’t come in until things are really bad. And when they’re really bad, it’s harder to fix. We would love for people to start thinking of family counseling and couples counseling as relationship enhancement and preventative services. People can come in to make sure they have a healthy relationship; to address things that are small before they get big. There are a lot of skills people can learn that will help them solve their problems in the future.”
URI students can register and schedule their first confidential appointment here, or by calling 401-874-5956 or scanning the attached QR code.
“Romantic relationships among college students can be a major stressor, or a source of support,” MacLure said. “Even in a healthy relationship, every couple will have some areas of incompatibility. This is a wonderful opportunity to have this assessment early on, rather than down the road when problems may arise. Couples will be able to go in with eyes wide open having had a preventative checkup rather than just moving forward and possibly struggling without the benefit of what that checkup can provide.”