Reese Witherspoon Reacts to Daughter Ava Phillippe's Message on Her Mental Health Journey

Reese Witherspoon is giving a round of applause to Ava Phillippe. 

The daughter of Reese and ex-husband Ryan Phillippe got candid about her own struggles with mental health for World Mental Health Day, sharing her story and how she hoped it would inspire others.

"Something you might not know about me is that I actually really wanted to be a therapist for a long time and work with kids and all their big feelings and challenges," Ava explained in an Instagram video Oct. 10. "And that was, I think, inspired by my experience as a kid and as a teenager working with some amazing mental health professionals and therapists that truly changed my life."

According to the 25-year-old, her experience with therapy inspired her to partner with the Kids Mental Health Foundation for their Take Five campaign, saying the "goal is to take five minutes or more to spend time with the kids in your life and check in."

"We should all take time to check in on those most important to us," she added, "and how they're feeling, especially though, the people who are a little earlier on in their journey."

Ava reiterated, "It's important to put these things out in the open and to talk about the way you feel, even if it doesn't make sense, even if it feels stupid or silly, to make time for the way you feel, because it's important."

And Reese—who is also mom to son Deacon, 20, with Ryan, as well as son Tennessee, 12, whom she shares with ex Jim Toth—couldn't help but gush over Ava's video, writing in the comments, "Beautifully said," and adding a smiley face emoji.

Ava has often discussed her mental health journey, explaining during an Instagram Q&A in October 2023 that anxiety has been a huge factor in her life.

"I've dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember," she said, "and it was especially intense for me as a kid & teenager." 

Ava also acknowledged that "there is no one solution that works for everyone," but did share a few things that have helped her throughout her journey.

"Don't invalidate your feelings," she continued. "You have every right to feel however you do, even if it seems weird to others, & being hard on yourself won't help you feel better or find a solution."