Maybe your relationship no longer feels the way you hoped it would.

Arguments flare up, the same conflicts circle back, or worse—you’ve begun to drift apart.

Perhaps there’s been a betrayal that left deep wounds on both sides.
Maybe small disagreements have grown into heavy walls you can’t climb anymore.

You sense that the two of you can’t find your way through on your own.
You’re ready to talk with someone who can help you face these challenges together.

When couples arrive in therapy, Petra often notices something essential: even when there’s a lot of frustration, there’s still a thread of connection. The fact that you’re both willing to seek help means you still care. The love is there—hidden perhaps, but alive—yet the obstacles have grown too large to navigate without support.

Old Stories, Early Wounds

The fights rarely start with what they seem. Maybe it’s about shoes in the hallway, a coat left behind, a text unanswered. But the argument is never just about the shoes.

Each of us carries stories from long before we met our partner—early wounds, forgotten disappointments, childhood moments when we didn’t feel seen or safe. These experiences don’t vanish; they settle quietly inside us. Then a small trigger—a careless word, a missed glance—stirs them awake.

Suddenly, a tiny spark ignites a wildfire. One of you feels abandoned or unseen. Accusations fly. And yet, the real pain hasn’t started in the present moment at all. It’s in the old memories surfacing, asking to be witnessed.

Petra helps you trace these echoes with compassion and clarity. Together, you’ll uncover what each conflict is really trying to show you—not to assign blame, but to bring healing where it’s long overdue.

A Space for Transformation

Old childhood issues that are triggered and therefore unprocessed can become a block between you. There's no point in blaming the other person. It's like shooting the messenger, when the message is the problem, not the person who unconsciously delivers the message. Improvement and softening of the relationship occurs when you are willing to look at your own role and take full responsibility for it. What happens then is that childhood issues are healed and you grow. This can be done alone or together. Or first alone and then together. You become witnesses to each other's process. Which ultimately brings you closer to yourself, but also closer to your partner.

Petra believes that problems within a relationship often touch on deeper issues. Issues that demand to be seen. They even start to scream, to be seen. These manifest themselves, first in irritation, later in arguments and frustration, and if we don't address them, ultimately in failure, illness, or divorce. When you tackle these problems at their root, they suddenly become opportunities. Opportunities for growth and improvement. Of yourselves and of the relationship.

Een beweging naar elkaar

Couples therapy with Petra is more than problem-solving. It’s a safe, grounded space where both of you can slow down, breathe, and listen—to yourselves and to each other.

Here, hidden wounds find language. Defensive walls come down. The distance between you becomes a bridge instead of a barrier. You begin to see your partner not as an adversary, but as someone who, like you, is carrying stories that want to be heared and healed.

In this depth of understanding, intimacy can return—not as it once was, but deeper, steadier, and more real.

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Acute Relationship Crisis

If you’re facing an intense crisis and need help now, it’s possible to schedule a session on very short notice.