Amber Portwood’s daughter Leah is opening up about her decision to enter therapy.
“I just think I have a lot of, like, issues because of Amber in the experiences I’ve had,” Leah, 16, told dad Gary Shirley in the Thursday, February 20, episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. “I want to overcome that so I can be able to forgive her and just move on, and I think that it would help to have someone to guide me on how to forgive someone because it’s hard for me to do that.”
Leah has chosen to spend the majority of her childhood with Gary and his wife, Kristina Shirley.
While Amber, 34, has acknowledged things have been distant with her daughter, she has expressed hopes of building a stronger relationship.
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“With my daughter, she doesn’t want to be around me,” Amber said on the February 6 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. “I’ve never been a mom that didn’t care. Just a f—ed up mom.”
In recent years, Amber has been open about her mental health struggles and previously revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.
During a rare confessional interview, Leah provided a glimpse into her current relationship with her mom.
While the high school student isn’t sure when she realized her mom “wasn’t there,” Leah claimed to have “abandonment issues from her not being around.”
“I do know that there’s a lot of things going on that makes it difficult for her to be able to be there for me,” Leah said. “I feel like it does affect me every day because I’m always scared that Kristina is going to leave me. I’m always scared that people are just going to leave me for no reason.”
As Leah began speaking to a professional, Gary expressed his full support and assured his daughter that she could keep all of her therapy sessions private.
“I just want you to have somebody to talk to that’s a safe space,” he said. “I want you to be happy. I love you.”
One costar who supports Leah’s therapy journey is Tyler Baltierra. When discussing the idea with Gary, the 16 and Pregnant alum said professional help at a young age was lifesaving for him.
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Tyler’s support encouraged Gary to spark a conversation with his own daughter.
“She’s a good kid and has a great head on her shoulders,” Gary said. “She’s going through a lot.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on MTV Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
