"I think he might be shocked a little bit about things he didn't know."

They may not be a couple anymore, but Gary Shirley and Amber Portwood are still going to therapy together to work on their relationship.

All season long, Amber has been struggling to connect with daughter Leah -- who feels her mother abandoned her over men and time behind bars. Portwood hoped to do some mother-daughter therapy with her, but Leah was against it.

On Tuesday's new episode of "Teen Mom OG," however, Gary finally agreed to see a psychiatrist with his ex, something Amber saw as a step in the right direction. Though the two did therapy when they were together in the past, it didn't go all that well. This time, Gary hoped he could still get some insight into what's going on inside Amber's head.

Showing up at her home to share his decision to go with her, he explained why he felt now was the time.

"I feel as though things went down a certain way and we're all getting past them, we're all doing our best to move forward and be adults. I figure if I can at least do my part, understand what you're going through as far as your mental state of mind," he began.

"Mental illnesses," Portwood -- who has been open about her diagnoses with Borderline Personality and Bipolar Disorder -- corrected. "I have the top major mental illnesses, I take medicine. That's something you'll understand too."

"I try my best to get off this couch, do school, make As and Bs and try to have a relationship with Leah and it's hard but I've accepted it," she continued. "What I haven't been able to accept is, my medication, no matter what and no matter how much I take of it, will never fully keep me like you. I think this is a good thing, I really do."

After Gary left, Portwood spoke to her producer about what she hopes Shirley gets out of their session together.

"I think he might be shocked a little bit about things he didn't know," she said. "I hope that when he goes in and everything's explained to him, it's not exactly a shock but it's more educational and he'll hopefully treat me a little differently. It is my sanctuary, but I'm happy that he's finally open to it."

She added that she hoped Leah would be "more open to" doing therapy with Amber as well, after seeing that her father did it. "We'll see in the end what's gonna happen," she added.

The episode ended with the two of them walking inside the psychiatrist's office.

"Teen Mom OG" airs Tuesdays on MTV.

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Title: Gary Shirley Finally Agrees to Go to Therapy with Amber Portwood on Teen Mom OG
Sourced From: toofab.com/2021/11/17/teen-mom-amber-portwood-gary-therapy/
Published Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:49:01 +0000

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