Skip to main content

Part of the Premarital Counseling Series: Building Covenant Through Relational Integrity — Course 1 of 10

Premarital Counseling Series — Course 1

Core Section — Building Covenant

Understanding Covenant and Relational Integrity

Building Covenant Through Relational Integrity

The biblical and psychological framework for covenant marriage — what it demands, and why relational integrity is its non-negotiable foundation.

6 Modules Self-Paced Dual Sign-In Included Biblically Grounded
Premarital Series · Course 1
$199

Coming Soon · Introductory course available now

Coming Soon

Enrollment for this in-depth series course is not open yet. Start with the introductory course for current enrollment.

✓ 6 in-depth covenant modules
✓ Biblical integration every module
✓ Dual access for both partners
✓ The Six Pillars of Relational Integrity framework
✓ Covenant readiness self-assessment

Course Objectives

What You Will Build Together

1
Understand covenant as both theological commitment and relational architecture
2
Learn the Six Pillars of Relational Integrity — honesty, accountability, boundaries, forgiveness, trust, restored relationship
3
Explore the link between personal wholeness and the capacity for covenant commitment
4
Recognize attachment wounds and defensive patterns before they calcify inside marriage
5
Co-create a shared relational foundation — values, vision, and purpose
6
Complete a structured covenant-readiness assessment as a couple

Biblical Foundation

Scripture That Anchors This Course

This course is built on the covenant theology of marriage — a bond of promise and character, not just affection.

Malachi 2:14

"The LORD is witness between you and the wife of your youth... your companion and your wife by covenant." — Marriage as a witnessed, binding covenant.

Proverbs 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." — Why wholeness and self-awareness precede covenant readiness.

Ephesians 4:25

"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully." — Honesty as the first pillar of relational integrity.

Dr. Donetta Quinones

Your Instructor

Dr. Donetta Quinones

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) · Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

Dr. Quinones brings over 20 years of clinical experience spanning jail cells, rehab centers, and private practice. A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with a PhD in Psychology, graduate training in forensic psychology, and certification as a Human Behavior Consultant, she integrates trauma science with biblical truth throughout her teaching and curriculum development. She holds tri-state licensure and has spent her career sitting with the most broken relationships — and watching them heal.

PhD in Psychology · MA, Forensic Psychology PhD · LPC · LMHC Program Development Certified Human Behavior Consultant

Course Curriculum

6 Modules — From Foundation to Commitment

Each module builds the biblical and psychological framework couples need before they say "I do."

1

Module 1

What Is Covenant? Biblical and Psychological Foundations

Exploring covenant as both theological commitment and relational architecture. How the biblical covenant model shapes expectations, obligations, and the nature of lasting partnership.

Key Topics
  • Theological foundations of covenant
  • Covenant vs. contract
  • Historical/biblical covenant model
  • Expectations & obligations
Biblical Integration
  • Malachi 2:14 — witness between you and your covenant spouse
  • Genesis 2:24 — the two become one flesh
2

Module 2

Relational Integrity: The Six Pillars

Honesty, accountability, boundaries, forgiveness, trust, and restored relationship — the six pillars of relational integrity and how each one functions within covenant marriage.

Key Topics
  • Honesty and accountability
  • Boundaries and forgiveness
  • Trust as a built outcome
  • Restored relationship practice
Biblical Integration
  • Ephesians 4:25 — put off falsehood, speak truthfully
  • Proverbs 3:3 — let love and faithfulness never leave you
3

Module 3

Identity and Wholeness Before Marriage

Why you cannot give what you do not have. The relationship between personal wholeness, emotional differentiation, and the capacity for covenant commitment.

Key Topics
  • Emotional differentiation
  • Personal wholeness before marriage
  • What you carry into covenant
  • Self-awareness inventory
Biblical Integration
  • Proverbs 4:23 — guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life
  • Psalm 139:23-24 — search me, God, and know my heart
4

Module 4

Recognizing Relational Patterns That Threaten Covenant

Identifying attachment wounds, defensive adaptations, and unconscious relational patterns that each partner brings into marriage — and how to interrupt them before they calcify.

Key Topics
  • Attachment wounds
  • Defensive adaptations
  • Unconscious relational patterns
  • Interrupting patterns early
Biblical Integration
  • Hebrews 12:15 — see to it that no root of bitterness springs up
  • Romans 12:2 — be transformed by the renewing of your mind
5

Module 5

Building the Foundation: Shared Values, Vision, and Purpose

How couples co-create a shared relational foundation — aligning on core values, defining shared purpose, and building the vision that guides the covenant.

Key Topics
  • Shared core values
  • Vision co-creation
  • Purpose alignment
  • Foundation-building exercises
Biblical Integration
  • Habakkuk 2:2 — write the vision, make it plain
  • Amos 3:3 — can two walk together unless they agree?
6

Module 6

Covenant Integrity Assessment and Commitment

A structured assessment of each partner’s readiness for covenant commitment, individual and shared growth areas, and a framework for ongoing relational integrity maintenance.

Key Topics
  • Readiness self-assessment
  • Growth-area mapping
  • Ongoing integrity maintenance
  • Commitment framework
Biblical Integration
  • Ecclesiastes 4:12 — a cord of three strands is not quickly broken
  • Psalm 15:4 — who keeps an oath even when it hurts

Who This Course Is For

Built for Couples Ready to Build on Covenant, Not Just Chemistry

This course is for engaged or seriously committed couples who want the biblical and psychological framework underneath a lasting marriage — not just the wedding day.

💍

Engaged Couples

Preparing for marriage and wanting a shared, biblically grounded understanding of what covenant actually requires.

🕊️

Couples Seeking Depth

Partners who want more than a checklist — a real framework for relational integrity that lasts beyond the wedding.

⛪

Faith-Based Couples

Couples who want their marriage grounded in covenant theology, not just modern relationship advice.

🌱

Couples Doing Their Own Work

Partners committed to personal wholeness and self-awareness as a foundation for the relationship they’re building.

Covenant Is Built, Not Assumed

Most couples enter marriage with different, unspoken definitions of what covenant means. This course gives you the shared language and biblical foundation to build one covenant — together, on purpose.

$199
Courses 1-10 Coming Soon · Introductory course available now
Coming Soon

In-depth series enrollment is coming soon

Program Clarity

GraceRoot courses are psychoeducational learning programs, not emergency care, legal advice, or a replacement for therapy. Certificates document GraceRoot completion. Court, employer, board, or continuing education acceptance should be confirmed before purchase unless a page states a specific approval.

Trust & Verification Participant Handbook Confidentiality Grievances
Academic Research Solutions Inc., dba GraceRoot Institute