Systemic & Strategic Relationship Support in Brussels / Overijse
Some relationship problems keep coming back.
Not because you don't care—but because something is keeping the pattern alive.
If you keep having the same arguments, struggle with communication, or feel your relationship problems never really disappear, the Relationship Dynamics Assessment helps you identify the interaction patterns keeping the conflict alive.
Whether you're considering couples therapy, relationship counselling, or simply want to understand why the same issues keep repeating, this first session helps you gain clarity before deciding on the next step.
✓ 60-minute assessment
✓ Individual or couples session
✓ In English or French
✓ In-person in Overijse or Leuven
✓ €100
This first session doesn't commit you to ongoing therapy.
Its purpose is to help you understand your situation more clearly and decide whether further work together would be useful.
Consultations in Overijse & Leuven • Free parking • Easy access from Brussels
What many couples tell me
"We keep having the same argument over and over again."
"We love each other, but we don't seem to understand each other anymore."
"We don't know how to communicate without it turning into an argument."
"Small disagreements quickly become big conflicts."
"We're growing apart, and I don't know how to reconnect."
"We feel more like roommates than partners."
"Living abroad has put extra pressure on our relationship."
"We're staying together, but we're not really happy anymore."
"We're thinking about couples therapy, but we're not sure where to start."
"We want to save our relationship before it's too late."
If several of these statements resonate with you, you're not alone. They often reflect recurring interaction patterns rather than personal failings.
Understanding these patterns is often
the first step toward lasting change.
Questions about recurring relationship difficulties
Why do we keep having the same arguments?
Many couples find themselves repeating the same conflicts despite their best intentions. Often, it isn't a lack of love or communication, but recurring interaction patterns that keep the cycle alive.
Why do small disagreements become major conflicts?
Arguments often escalate because each partner reacts to the other's reactions. Understanding these interaction patterns helps explain why seemingly minor issues can quickly become emotionally charged.
Why do we feel more like roommates than partners?
After years together, or after becoming parents, many couples become consumed by daily responsibilities. Emotional connection gradually gives way to routines, making it difficult to reconnect without understanding how the relationship has evolved.
Can a relationship improve if only one person changes?
Sometimes, yes. Because relationships function as systems, even small changes in the way one partner responds can influence the entire dynamic.
When is it time to seek help for recurring relationship problems?
Many couples begin by looking for couples therapy or relationship counselling. For others, a structured assessment is a helpful first step before deciding what kind of support they need.
What makes a systemic approach different?
Rather than asking who is right or wrong, a systemic approach explores how both partners unintentionally contribute to recurring patterns. Making these patterns visible creates new possibilities for change.
Can living abroad put extra pressure on a relationship?
Yes. Relocation, demanding careers, raising children without nearby family, cultural differences and the loss of familiar support networks can all place additional strain on a relationship. These challenges often intensify existing interaction patterns rather than create entirely new ones.
Some relationship patterns gradually become automatic, making them difficult to change without an outside perspective.
Many recurring relationship conflicts are not simply caused by poor communication.
They are often maintained by recurring interaction patterns, emotional reactions and unconscious expectations that both partners unintentionally reinforce over time.
Sometimes these patterns are also influenced by earlier life experiences or family relationship models, without us even realizing it.
Understanding what keeps the pattern alive is often the first step toward lasting relationship change.
The most effective way to resolve recurring relationship problems
is often to uncover the invisible patterns driving them.
I'm Johanna Touzel, a Systemic & Strategic Relationship Practitioner.
I help individuals and couples understand the interaction patterns that keep recurring relationship problems alive.
Rather than focusing only on communication or who is right and who is wrong, I explore how both partners unintentionally contribute to the same recurring dynamics.
My work combines Systemic Therapy, Strategic Therapy (Palo Alto) and Family Constellations to help create lasting change.
Why this approach is different
Many couples seek help after months—or even years—of trying to solve the same relationship problems through conversations, good intentions and repeated efforts.
My work combines Systemic Therapy, Strategic Therapy (Palo Alto) and Family Constellations to understand both the interaction patterns shaping your relationship today and the deeper family dynamics that may still be influencing them.
Rather than focusing only on communication or on who is right and who is wrong, we identify what is keeping the pattern alive, uncover the deeper dynamics maintaining it, and introduce practical changes that support lasting relationship change.
This first session helps you step back,
understand what is keeping the pattern alive,
and decide whether further work together would be helpful.
Overijse & Leuven • Free parking • Easy access from Brussels
€100 • 60-minute assessment • Individual or Couple
Every process begins with a Relationship Dynamics Assessment.
The first step is a Relationship Dynamics Assessment.
This initial session helps you understand your relationship dynamics, identify what is maintaining the difficulty, and gain a clearer understanding of your situation.
It doesn't commit you to ongoing therapy. Its purpose is to help you step back, make sense of what is happening, and decide whether the individual 3-session process is the right next step for you.
STEP 1
Relationship Dynamics Assessment
A first 60-minute assessment, individually or as a couple, to clarify your relationship difficulties, understand the dynamics at play, and identify the most appropriate next step.
Its purpose is to provide a space for assessment, clarification and understanding, so you can decide with confidence whether the individual 3-session process is the right next step for your situation.
100€ — 60 minutes
STEP 2
Individual 3-Session Process
If the assessment shows that this approach is appropriate—and if you both decide to continue—each partner then follows an individual 3-session process.
Because each partner brings their own personal history, emotional responses and family relationship patterns into the relationship, this stage is carried out individually. It creates the space to understand and transform these patterns before they continue to shape the relationship.
The goal is to identify the recurring patterns and automatic reactions that keep relationship difficulties alive, so that new ways of relating can emerge.
A systemic and strategic approach designed to create lasting relationship change.
270€ — 3 individual sessions
STEP 3
Relationship Review Session
Around a month later, an optional couple session can be scheduled after giving the new patterns time to become established in everyday life.
This follow-up session provides an opportunity to review the changes that have taken place, celebrate the progress made, and identify any final adjustments that may still be helpful.
100€ — 60 minutes
Before You Book Your First Session
Yes.
It is common for one partner to be more motivated than the other, or to be the one who first seeks help.
The first session helps clarify the relationship dynamics, even if both partners are not at the same stage. It is not uncommon for one person to come mainly to understand the situation before deciding whether to engage further.
In a systemic approach, change in one part of the relationship often influences the whole system. This means the work can still be valuable even when motivation is not yet equally shared.
Not necessarily.
In a systemic approach, meaningful change can begin even if only one partner continues the individual work. As one person changes the way they respond, communicate and relate, the relationship often begins to shift as well.
That said, when both partners choose to engage in the process, the changes are often deeper, faster and more sustainable. Working together creates the best conditions for lasting change—but it is not a requirement to begin.
Yes.
The first session can absolutely take place without your partner if they are not ready or willing to attend.
This first meeting helps clarify the relationship dynamics and identify what is maintaining the difficulty. It also allows you to decide whether the proposed process feels right for your situation.
Even when only one partner starts, taking the initiative can already begin to change the relationship dynamic.
Each partner brings their own personal history, emotional patterns and family experiences into the relationship.
While recurring conflicts emerge within the couple, the deeper patterns maintaining them are often different for each person. Working individually allows us to explore these patterns in greater depth and support lasting personal change.
As each partner develops new ways of understanding, responding and relating, the relationship itself can begin to change.
Yes.
When communication has broken down, improving communication alone is not always enough.
Repeated conflicts are often driven by deeper emotional patterns that keep being reactivated within the relationship.
This process helps identify and understand those underlying patterns so they no longer unconsciously shape your interactions.
As these patterns begin to change, communication often becomes more natural, calmer and more constructive.
Not necessarily.
The goal is not simply to preserve the relationship at all costs.
It is to help each partner understand the patterns that shape the way they relate to one another and to find a healthier, more authentic way of relating.
Many recurring conflicts are driven by long-standing emotional patterns rather than by a lack of love or commitment. When these patterns change, the relationship often changes as well.
Sometimes this leads to a stronger relationship. Above all, it helps each person make clearer and more conscious choices about their relationship and their life.
Disagreements about parenting are one of the most common sources of recurring conflict in couples.
Behind everyday disagreements about rules, responsibilities or mental load often lie deeper differences in family values, emotional patterns and childhood experiences.
This process helps identify the interaction patterns that keep these conflicts repeating, so you can respond to each other with greater understanding and create a calmer, more cooperative family dynamic.
Yes. I work with English-speaking expat and international couples experiencing recurring relationship conflicts, communication difficulties or emotional distance.
Many couples seek support after relocating, becoming parents or navigating the pressures of demanding international careers. These life transitions often intensify existing relationship patterns rather than create new ones.
Sessions are available in English, in person in Overijse or Leuven, or online when appropriate.
Yes. Many couples notice that their relationship changes after becoming parents.
Sleep deprivation, new responsibilities, mental load and the demands of family life can make existing relationship patterns more visible. Conversations may become more frequent, more emotionally charged, or seem to go in circles.
The goal is not simply to improve communication, but to understand the interaction patterns that have developed and help each partner find new ways of responding to one another.
Many couples discover that this period, although challenging, can also become an opportunity to build a stronger and more balanced relationship.
Yes. This approach is particularly suited to recurring relationship conflicts, communication difficulties, mental load, parenting challenges, and other situations where the same interaction patterns keep repeating.
Consultations in Overijse & Leuven – Practical Information
In-person consultations in Overijse and Leuven, easily accessible from Brussels, Waterloo, Tervuren, La Hulpe, Rixensart and the surrounding areas.
Consultations take place in Overijse or Leuven (Kessel-Lo), depending on the location you choose when booking.
Overijse offers a quiet, discreet setting with free parking, about 15 minutes from Brussels.
Leuven (Kessel-Lo) is conveniently located and easily accessible from Leuven city centre, Brussels and the surrounding area.
Once your appointment is confirmed, you'll receive the exact address and all practical information by email.
Yes. You can choose between Overijse and Leuven (Kessel-Lo) when booking.
Overijse is about 15 minutes from Brussels, with free parking on site and easy access from Waterloo, La Hulpe, Rixensart, Tervuren and the surrounding area.
Leuven (Kessel-Lo) is easily accessible from Leuven city centre, Brussels and the surrounding region, with convenient public transport connections.
Once your appointment is confirmed, you'll receive the exact address and all practical information by email.
Consultations are available in English, French or German, depending on your preference.
A large part of my practice supports expats, international couples and people living in multicultural environments, where cultural differences, relocation or life abroad can add extra complexity to relationship dynamics.
At present, consultations are not routinely reimbursed by the Belgian health insurance system.
However, some private health insurance plans or complementary insurance policies may offer partial reimbursement, depending on your coverage.
If you're unsure, it's worth checking directly with your insurer.
€100 • 60 minutes • Individual or Couple Session
You'll be taken to the booking calendar, where you can choose between Overijse and Leuven and select the appointment that suits you best.
After your booking is confirmed, you'll receive all the practical information by email.
Overijse • Leuven • Free parking • Easy access from Brussels
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