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Jessica Alba Is ‘Happy’ She ‘Put in the Work’ to Save Family Through Therapy: ‘Healthy Outlet’
By all appearances, Jessica Alba has a picture-perfect family. Her Instagram regularly includes photos of the actress, husband Cash Warren, 45, and their three kids, Honor, 15, Haven, 12, and Hayes, 6, smiling at the camera — with Jess most recently recapping a January trip to Disneyland in Anaheim with her “besties.” But things haven’t always been so harmonious in Jessica’s home life. In a new interview with Real Simple, the Fantastic Four star, 42, reveals that she sought the help of family therapy roughly four years ago to improve how her brood functions.
“Honor was probably 11, and we were arguing all the time about dumb stuff. And I was, like, I don’t want to live like this. This is not fun,” she recalled. “I wanted there to be someone who could explain things in a way I couldn’t.”
Taking that step with Honor, as well as Haven, ultimately, saved their family. While she and her daughters no longer attend sessions together, they each continue to seek counseling separately. “It’s such a valuable tool,” Jessica said, noting her own actions as a parent have been “put in check.” “Therapy gets you talking about what’s going on with you and unearths the things that aren’t feeling the best or might be confusing, or things that make you happy. And just unpacking it all allows you to process it, and then you can repeat good behavior and find the behaviors you want to redirect.”
LOVE & UNDERSTANDING
Overall, an insider exclusively tells Life & Style, therapy has made the Warren women better communicators. “Jessica’s put in the work,” adds the insider. “She’s been open about her personal struggles over the years — from having chronic illness and being sexually harassed to dealing with disordered eating — and is happy her kids have a healthy outlet for their feelings at a younger age than she did. She just always wants what’s best for Honor, Haven and Hayes.”
