Johnny Depp's and Amber Heard's former marriage counselor says they participated in 'mutual abuse' with escalating violence

• Johnny Depp and Amber Heard both abused each other during their relationship, per their marriage counselor.
• The therapist testified she witnessed bruises on Heard, and said Heard often escalated violence.

A marriage counselor who worked with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard during their turbulent marriage testified on Thursday that their relationship was marked by "mutual abuse."

The therapist, Laurel Anderson, said both victims had been victims of domestic abuse during their childhoods but came to their relationships with different temperaments.

Depp, who was in his late 40s and early 50s while in the relationship, had been "well-controlled" for "almost 20, 30 years," Anderson said. She said that changed when he married Heard.

"I thought he had been well-controlled for decades," Anderson testified. "And then with Ms. Heard, he was triggered, and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse."

Depp filed the initial lawsuit against Heard in 2019, alleging she defamed him by describing herself as a victim of domestic violence in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post and asked for $50 million in damages.

Heard filed for divorce from their relationship in 2016 around the same time she filed for a restraining order against Depp, which included a photo of herself with bruises on her face. The reality, according to Depp's lawsuit, was that Heard verbally and physically abused Depp throughout their relationship, faked the incident where her face was bruised, and sought to undermine Depp's movie star career.

Heard, who was in her 20s during their relationship, filed a counterclaim for $100 million, alleging Depp physically assaulted her on at least 10 different occasions while they were together as drug and alcohol abuse pushed him into violent rages.

Anderson, a clinical psychologist, said she oversaw numerous therapy sessions with both Depp and Heard in 2015 and 2016, each between an hour and 3.5 hours long, as well as several appointments with each of them individually. She gave her testimony in a deposition prior to the start of the trial, which Depp's lawyers played for jurors in the courtroom on Thursday in the Fairfax, Virginia courtroom.

The therapy sessions were, at first, dominated by Heard. Anderson said she "talked over him" and "cut him off."

"He couldn't keep up with her rapid-fire way of conversation," Anderson said. "And so he was really overwhelmed."

Eventually, Heard began to understand that her communication style made it impossible to have productive conversations, and the relationship seemed to get on steadier ground, according to Anderson.

But, it didn't last.

Heard said she escalated fights, according to the therapist

In December 2015, Anderson wrote in her notes that she held solo sessions with Heard where she had bruises on her face, and also showed her photos with pictures of herself with bruises. While Anderson didn't personally witness physical abuse by either party, she testified on Thursday that there had been violence from Depp toward Heard.

She also said she believed that Amber had been violent toward Depp. She testified that Heard personally reported it to her.

"It was a point of pride, if she felt disrespected, to initiate a fight," Anderson said, characterizing Heard's remarks from a therapy session. "

Anderson said she believed Heard often initiated the physical fights between them.

"I know she led on more than one occasion and started it, to keep him with her," she said. "Because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare."

"I think he may have initiated it on occasions too — that I'm less sure on," she continued.

Heard said she "escalated" the fights by physically assaulting Depp in order to stop him from leaving, according to Anderson.

"If he was going to leave her to de-escalate the fight, she was going to strike him," Anderson said. "She would rather escalate the fight than have him leave."

In one solo appointment with Heard, Anderson said, Heard described an incident where Depp was intoxicated and she "socked" him.

"She slapped him because he was incoherent and talking about being with another woman," Anderson said, characterizing her notes from the session. "She initiated that one because, I think, she had felt demeaned or threatened."