Jessica Alba wants to “destigmatise” the idea of going to therapy.
Jessica Alba
The 40-year-old actress opened up earlier this year about going to therapy with her 13-year-old daughter Honor so that they could learn to communicate and understand each other better, and has now said she chose to speak out about her experience in order to encourage others to try it.
She said: "I think I’m just trying to destigmatize what that is. It really is: How can I show up as a mom for my kids and be the best parent for her?... There really isn't one sort of recipe that works across the board. I just wanted to be able to show up for her."
Jessica also said she relies on her friends and her husband Cash Warren – with whom she also has Haven, 10, and Hayes, three – whenever she needs help.
She added to People magazine: "Luckily, I have friends who have girls the same age. I think we're all sort of going through all of this together. So, that helps to have a community of support around you and friendships where we can have a dialogue about, 'Hey, I'm kind of going through this and I'm kind of hitting a wall and how do I break through?' And 'This is what I'm doing and just being transparent and open about it.' I think makes it less scary for others."
The ’LA’s Finest’ star spoke about her therapy trips with Honor back in July this year, when she said she had been attending the sessions for two years.
She said at the time: "With my 13-year-old, I'm struggling with not treating her like a little [kid] - I want to treat them all like babies. I want to baby them. Still, my tendency is to parent them as if they are little.
“I started going to therapy with her I think when she was 11. For me it was really out of, I felt like my relationship really suffered with my parents because they didn't know how to communicate with me and how I needed to be parented. So I didn't want that breakdown with Honor so we went to therapy together."
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