Guides to repairing any relationship
Whoever the conflict is with and whatever keeps going wrong, these guides explain what is happening, what helps, what the research says, and when something other than Repaired is the better fit. Repaired itself is a structured way for any two people to repair after a specific conflict: partners, friends, family or coworkers.
Repaired is not therapy and is not appropriate for situations involving abuse, coercion, or a power imbalance. If anyone is in danger, contact local emergency services.
Start hereWhat a healthy relationship looks like, and what it feels likeIf you grew up around shouting, silence or walking on eggshells, or you have only been in relationships that hurt, it can be hard to picture what healthy even looks like. This guide describes it plainly: how it feels, how disagreements go, and what to watch for.With someone
Who the conflict is with.
- With a partnerFor one specific fight you both want to move past, without reopening the whole relationship.
- With a friendFor a rift that text messages keep making worse.
- With familyFor a parent, sibling, or adult child when the same argument keeps repeating.
- With a coworkerFor a working relationship strained by one specific incident.
What’s going on
The pattern or problem you keep running into.
- What a healthy relationship looks likeIf you grew up around shouting, silence or walking on eggshells, or you have only been in relationships that hurt, it can be hard to picture what healthy even looks like. This guide describes it plainly: how it feels, how disagreements go, and what to watch for.
- When you can’t say what’s bothering youSomething is bothering you, and every time you try to say it, it either comes out wrong or you swallow it. Here is why that happens, and how to say it so the other person can actually hear it.
- Resentment that has built upResentment is what is left when a hurt is never fully dealt with. It builds quietly, then starts to color everything. Here is how it forms, how to tell it is there, and how to work it down without blowing everything up.
- When one of you pulls awayOne of you wants to talk it through now. The other goes quiet, leaves the room, or says “fine.” The harder one pushes, the further the other pulls away. This is one of the most common patterns in close relationships, and it can change.
- Stonewalling and the silent treatmentIn the middle of a disagreement, one person stops responding. They go blank, look away, or walk out. It can feel like being shut out on purpose. Usually it is something else, and sometimes it is not. Here is how to tell, and what helps.
Right now
The moment you are in.
The same steps, for any two people
Romantic partners
For a specific fight you both want to move past, not ongoing counseling.
What makes it hard
When you share a home, money, or a daily routine, one argument can stack onto months of smaller ones. It is hard to talk about the actual fight without the whole history surfacing, and easy to slip into defending yourself instead of listening.
How the same steps help
Because you each reflect privately first, you get to say your full side without interruption and without watching the other person react. You name what happened, how you felt, what you needed, and one clear request. By default, neither of you reads the other’s side until you have written your own, which keeps a single disagreement from turning into a verdict on the whole relationship. The last step ends in concrete commitments and a pause phrase you can both use next time.
Repairing after a fight with your partner
Common situations
- A recurring fight about money, chores, or time that never fully resolves
- A specific moment that hurt, like a comment in front of friends
- A calm way back after a blowup when neither of you wants to reopen it cold
Friends
For a rift that text messages keep making worse.
What makes it hard
Friendships almost never have a built-in way to address a hurt. There is no standing arrangement to talk things through, so people either let it sit until the friendship quietly fades, or they try to fix it over text, where tone gets lost and it escalates.
How the same steps help
Repaired gives a friendship the structure that close relationships usually get more of. You each get a private space to say what actually happened, a step where you reflect the other person back in your own words, and a clear close. You can take your time instead of firing off a reply, and you decide together whether and how to move forward.
Repairing a friendship after a falling-out
Common situations
- A canceled plan or forgotten moment that turned into weeks of distance
- A falling-out where you are not sure the other person even knows why you are hurt
- Reconnecting after a long silence without pretending nothing happened
Family
For a parent, sibling, or adult child when the same argument keeps repeating.
What makes it hard
Family conflict carries years of history, and that history makes a calm conversation hard to start. Old roles take over quickly, people feel cornered, and the same argument repeats because no one feels fully heard. Distance and busy lives make it even harder to find a moment to talk.
How the same steps help
Each person reflects on their own time, even from different cities, so no one is put on the spot. You write your full side before you read theirs, and the mirroring step asks each person to show they understood the other before moving on. That slows a loaded conversation down enough to break the loop it usually falls into.
Repairing after a family argument
Common situations
- A parent and adult child who keep having the same argument
- Two siblings disagreeing about money or caring for a parent
- A long-running family tension you have never found the right moment to raise
Coworkers and colleagues
For a professional relationship strained by one specific incident.
What makes it hard
Work conflict is awkward because you still have to collaborate the next day. Raising it can feel risky, and a face-to-face meeting can carry power dynamics, especially when one person is more senior. So the friction usually goes unspoken and quietly affects the work.
How the same steps help
Both people follow the same neutral steps, so no one is calling the other into a room. The focus stays on the specific incident and on concrete commitments, not on blame or personality, and you leave with a shared, practical agreement on how to handle the next one. Repaired is not a replacement for HR, and it is not appropriate for harassment or situations with a real power imbalance.
Repairing after a conflict with a coworker
Common situations
- Two teammates who clashed over credit or a missed handoff
- A recurring friction in how you two communicate that is slowing the work
- Clearing the air after a tense meeting so you can keep collaborating
Common questions
Is Repaired only for couples?
Can I use Repaired to resolve a fight with my partner?
Can Repaired help me repair things with a friend?
Can I use Repaired with a family member, like a parent or sibling?
Can Repaired be used for a conflict with a coworker?
Does Repaired work if only one person is willing?
Whoever it is, start here
Start in your browser. The core repair flow is free, and sign up takes about a minute.
Start freeWhere to go next
- How the process works
What actually happens once two people start.
- Attachment style quiz
Twelve questions on how you respond to closeness. No account needed.
- The research behind it
The frameworks the guides draw on, each explained.
- How Repaired compares
Therapy, couples apps and AI tools, and when each one fits.