All the applause: Kristen Bell says no one should be ashamed to go to couples’ therapy

We love Kristen Bell for so many reasons. She sincerely talks about her history with mental illness. She stars in absolutely adorable commercials with husband Dax Shepard. She’s an amazing mom to two beautiful little girls. And now – Kristen’s done it again – she’s continued to promote the importance of mental health by opening up about her relatable experience with therapy.

Though Hollywood couples may literally look picture-perfect in magazines and on our screens, Bell assures us that this isn’t the case. Just like any other couple on this planet, celeb pairs also have to put work into their relationships. For Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard specifically, this involves going to couples’ counseling.

“One thing I like to reiterate … is that we’ve done a lot of work on our relationship. We’re very focused on staying together. We’ve made a choice to love each other but realize relationships are a lot of work. I think it’s responsible to be honest about that,” Kristen told Us Weekly during an interview with her husband. “It’s hard work, working out the kinks of how learning how to argue because we disagree on almost every topic on the planet. We earned our relationship, which we’re very proud of.”  

It’s refreshing to hear someone in the public eye being so candidly honest about their relationship. After all, each and every single one of us has dealt with relationship issues and it’s nice to know that we are not alone – especially when it comes to coping with such obstacles.

Plus, this isn’t the first time Kristen Bell has been so admirably honest about couples’ therapy. Last year, Kristen explained to Good Housekeeping that when she met Dax, she realized she needed “a much bigger toolbox to have confrontations and disagreements with people.” At this point, the husband and wife looked to therapy for support.

“You do better in the gym with a trainer; you don’t figure out how to cook without reading a recipe,” Kristen beautifully stated. “Therapy is not something to be embarrassed about.”

We couldn’t agree more. Taking care of your mental health – especially when you’re in a long-term relationship – is just as important as taking care of your physical health. If there’s no shame in going to a doctor, there shouldn’t be any shame in going to a therapist. And if you don’t believe us? Just listen to Kristen Bell.