Don't Underestimate People or... therapy :-)

This morning I was watching GMA before heading to the office (well listening while I reading email etc. Dax Shepard was on promoting his new movie and his interview was really engaging. He is usually very funny and engaging - this held true for sure.  He banters easily and can be self deprecating but he seldom is negative about anyone else. 

Don't underestimate him?  He was on Punked and a variety of other comedy shows before playing the "screw up" brother on Parenthood -- he is very funny in real life too so we may draw some conclusions about him based on those facts -- some dangerous assumptions which we do with our partners, our children, and our friends.  The surprising fact about him that I learned, he graduated at the top of his class at UCLA with a degree in Anthropology.  That is one smart man.

The second thing that really struck me was he talked about going to couples therapy with his wife at the beginning of their marriage (paraphrasing here) and that they went to figure out their patterns when they argue and to work on building a strong foundation. He was funny about how quickly the therapist had them figured out and was able to help them build some skills early on that has helped their marriage.  He said "an ounce of prevention" when it comes to going to couples therapy.

I agree with him that a few sessions early on can help to build and strengthen the relationship but I don't believe its ever too late -- the work may be harder and more complex the longer you wait but there is always hope.  The only time it is too late is when one partner has completely checked out and has no desire to reconcile and even then .... if they agree to counseling, there could be hope.