Dr. Cheyenne Bryant is opening up about Ryan Edwards‘ recent arrest and alleged relapse, as well as how Ryan’s 14-year-old son Bentley— with whom Ryan had just started repairing his relationship with— is handling the situation.
In an exclusive interview with The Ashley, Dr. Bryant (who is known as “Coach B” on Teen Mom Family Reunion), revealed that she was surprised to hear that Ryan had been arrested for drug possession earlier this month (along with harassment of his wife Mackenzie and other crimes). However, she stated that, in their therapy sessions, she has been preparing Bentley in case Ryan relapsed.
“It’s a really tough situation. It’s extremely heartbreaking and tough for Bentley, because he is the one that’s being directly affected,” Coach B told The Ashley.
On the ‘Teen Mom Family Reunion’ Aftermath special (which aired Tuesday), Ryan can be seen expressing to Coach B and Bentley’s mom Maci Bookout his desire to have a better relationship with Bentley, something Coach B says Ryan had been working on before his arrest and alleged relapse.
“[Ryan] was working, he was doing better than he had done in the past. He was communicating with Bentley more,” Coach B said of the period between when the ‘Aftermath’ special was filmed and Ryan’s arrest on February 10. “They were having one-on-one dad/son time. Their relationship was actually starting to become a little more substance-based than it had been before.”
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“Bentley shared that he was enjoying the newness of having more contact and spending more time with his dad,” she added. “He had even learned some new things about [Ryan] that were really enlightening for Bentley.”
Coach B says she was “surprised” to hear that Ryan was arrested and found to be in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“My heart is sad for both, Ryan and Bentley, because I can only imagine how Ryan feels about breaking his commitments to himself as a man, and to his son, who he wants a relationship with,” she said.
Still, Coach B said that she has been working with Bentley (outside of the show) to prepare him in case things went south with Ryan.
“My heart broke for Bentley, and the disappointment that I know he felt…but we also prepared and talked a lot about how [their relationship] was [in a good place then], but ‘in the event that [Ryan] takes a pivot, these are the feelings you may feel. These are the tools I want you to use if [Ryan] pivots.’
“That’s the reality of addiction,” she continued. “My job is to support Bentley in what is going on in the present moment, but to also prepare him for what I already know– from my experience as a seasoned coach and seasoned therapist– is possible when you’re dealing with circumstances with addiction.”
While Coach B says that Ryan “needs to take accountability” for his actions, but she doesn’t judge him for his alleged relapse.
“I don’t judge Ryan for it because I have an understanding with the challenges that come with addiction,” she said, adding that most people suffering from addiction experience a relapse. “Judgement is not there.”
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Coach B said that, while she feels for Ryan, her primary focus is to make sure Bentley is coping with what’s happening with his father.
“The main thing is to make sure that Bentley is processing his emotions, he’s not shutting down… and to make sure he’s not personalizing his dad’s decisions, so that Bentley doesn’t take on the weight of his father’s choices,” she said. “That’s a very, very challenging thing to learn and to do as a kid of an addict parent.
“It’s ongoing work and it will always be work. And I will always— as long as Bentley and Maci will have me— be a part of supporting and advocating for them, and having their back and loving Bentley to pieces, because that is what Bentley needs.”
The ‘Teen Mom Family Reunion: Aftermath’ special aired Tuesday. Watch a preview clip of Ryan, Maci and Coach B below.
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50 Responses
This guy is going to snap do something really bad!
Isn’t discussing how Bentley’s handing this and filling the world in on what is discussed in their therapy sessions a HIPPA violation? Like wtf?
*HIPAA
Must say I was deeply disturbed watching this last night. It felt as if Macy was being browbeat into accepting this. She’s bent over backwards to try and get Ryan to be a father.
What bothers me the most is that Ryan has made very little consistent success with his long-term sobriety. Watching the show last night you could see he was high on methamphetamine.
People active in their addiction should not have access to their children. And I want people to hear this loud and clear you cannot do any type of family or marriage counseling with someone who is active in their addiction it’s impossible you’re not doing counseling or work with a person who’s sober you’re dealing with the substance stop it!!! Especially mad mean to me that they have Dr Drew on hand that could have easily explained that this is exactly what was going to freaking happen again!!!
It’s damaging for the child and embarrassing for him when he goes to school and everyone says hey I saw your dad’s in jail. Or you got a junkie for a dad! You don’t think the stuff doesn’t happen. I have friends who went through this!
I wish the people around Ryan will get their butts in a chair at an Al-Anon meeting and stop loving him to death,because he’s going to end up six feet Under.
A therapist’s job is definitely not to “love [their patient] to pieces.” That line stuck out and bothers me so much.
Can someone explain how her talking about her work with Bentley is not a HIPAA violation? Like, obviously we can see what’s happening on the show, but she’s talking about working with him outside of that.
Maci likely signed a release of information.
Literally just said the same thing. How traumatic for Bentley that all of this is being aired out. He can’t even go to therapy in peace.
If the parent signs a release no violation. It’s so unethical
@Saoirse: From my knowledge, she works with Bentley as a “life coach” and not a therapist, so that may be the reason? I’m not sure though. -The Ashley
Very sad circumstances for all involved.
I don’t mean to make light of an awful situation, but I couldn’t help roll my eyes at “Their relationship was actually starting to become a little more substance-based than it had been before.” Was there no other phrase she could have uses that may have been a little less contentious?
Then again I’m not that confident in a life coach that is willing to open up so publicly about the struggles of a 14 year old boy whom has put his trust in her.
I think Bentley should now have a private life off tv, poor kid, it’s so sad and embarrassing for him.
I don’t think it is appropriate for a “Dr” to share or discuss anything relating to Bentley. Wow.
Jen and Larry created a spoiled brat….and this is the result of their inability to call out Ryan’s poor behaviour. Ryan has been a “father” for 14 years and is only just starting to have a meaningful relationship with his son now!? Poor Bentley.
Ok, rant over.
WHY does she talk about how Bentley is taking it? This is hard on him as it is. He does’nt need every person(and his school friends) to know what he is feeling and thinking! Leave him alone!
Also, does’nt therapists and people like that have to stay quiet about their patients?
With or without addiction, Ryan has a terrible personality so that sucks for Bentley 🙁
The clip was very sad. Hopefully he finds his way.
Not having watched the show in years, I was surprised that Ryan looks better than Maci. She’s bordering on a rough biker babe look.
What?! Ryan looks horrendous. Looks older than his dad.
For the better part, I completely agree that Bentley should have his privacy.
On the other side, I think it is good and brave that Bentley is sharing his story. That might help many other kids and their parents. Is that Bentley’s responsibility/ job tough?
What I also wonder is, was Bentley able to make the decision to share his story and feelings at 12/13?
Do people need to know everything about him, it stays online forever.
There’s another side to that too. People know about Bentley and his dad anyway, they are going to talk and think about how everything affected Bentley anyway. Bentley can show how he really is doing and stop assumptions about him.
Maybe it’s his choice to not look like a poor victim/ boy but someone that faces and deals with issues, someone who is also brave enough to share it with the world, to help others.
I’m going to bet he runs into people that pitty him when they see him. People mean well but that stings.
This poor boy. His dad has been struggling with addiction his whole life. His paternal grandparents continue to bail him out time and time again. His mom and step dad are frequently filmed using alcohol. He has all of his private thoughts aired on national television. All of this during impressionable age and where his friends (and maybe even worse-high school foes) have phones and access to all these dirty details of his life. Do they not realize how dangerously close they could be pushing this child to his own addictions? My heart breaks for him. He deserves privacy and a true therapist-not this “life coach” BS.
Out of everything I took from this article, the thing that stands out most to me is Bentley’s complete lack of privacy. Discussing what is covered in therapy as well as the progression of his relationship with Ryan seems exploitative and just downright icky, even by MTV’s standards. This show needed to be cancelled several seasons ago and even more so now that MTV has carte blanche to use Ryan’s horrific actions and how they affect Bentley as a storyline.
Isn’t this the same woman who was chastising Maci for not being a good “co-parent”, which is a joke of a term to use with Rhine.
Maci knows Rhine better than anyone, and unlike his parents, she sees through the bs, and manipulation he pulls on his parents, especially Jen. Maci has always tried to work with Rhine for years, she put up with his parents and co-parented with Jen so Rhine could have a relationship with his son. All Rhine had to do in that last 4 years was take a drug test, and go to a couple of therapy sessions and she would let him see his son. But he wasn’t clean and sober.
Rhine has never been a parent to Bentley, he’s been at best, an uncle/older brother. Rhine would spend a couple of hours with him at most, and then dump him on his mom to actually feed him, brush his teeth, tuck him in, you know the parenting part.
It’s sad that Rhine is finally realizing how much of Bentley’s life he’s missed, but it’s also incredibly frustrating for him not to take any accountability for why he hasn’t stepped up ever. If Rhine really wanted to be a parent, before the drugs, he could have taken Maci to court after they broke up and fought for visitation.
Rhine has two other kids with Mack, and I don’t think he does anything for those children either.
I have to say I’m really surprised at Maci. Bentley’s therapy regarding his dad or anything else —should be kept private. This clearly should not have been discussed at length on the Teen Mom air waves, and I pray for the day that Bentley (and many of these other TM kids) become adults.
Hopefully THEY will make better choices for THEMSELVES than some of the choices made for them right now by their moms —and MTV.
Why is this happening now? Is it because Ryan wants a relationship with Bentley? Is Mackenzie not wanting that to happen? It seems all too convenient for me. Ryan’s spending one on one time with Bentley and Mackenzie doesn’t like it. He’s always been on drugs. He’s probably always abused her. Why now get the law involved?
Your comment has no logic. Ryan is all of a sudden abusive, scary, back on drugs because he wants a relationship with Bentley? Ryan is all of those things because he made the decision to be and it’s no one else’s fault but his own.
Maci reminds me of Dylan on Modern Family when he was selling the v-neck shirts. Anything to keep from having an actual job, right Maci? Time to stop exploiting your son & step off the Teen Mom train.
Not cool. Don’t discuss this. It’s wonderful Bentley is having counseling, but why discuss it with the media?
Maybe some kids will see their own reflection in this story and know they aren’t alone? Maybe Bentley feels strong enough to be a role model for peers going through it too? Maybe you shouldn’t pity him and instead not watch or follow/comment so there is no demand for it?
This woman needs to shut her mouth, and Maci needs to stand up for her child’s privacy. Oh, wait.. if she did that, she would have to go get a real job instead of selling her kid out to MTV.
Why the —- is therapist doing an interview regarding patients?!
That’s what I was wondering, what about therapist/patient confidentiality?
She isn’t a therapist. She’s a life coach. Totally different thing. There is no confidentiality clause.
I meant dr/patient confidentiality, I was blanking on the first word so I just said therapist.
He already has a therapist, and she (I assume) is a licensed life coach or she wouldn’t be on tv so I’m guessing she has a PhD, which makes her a dr.
She never got her doctorate , she shouldn’t be calling herself a Dr. Her other degrees were from an unaccredited college that is now shut down so she’s shady af herself.
10 Things You Should Know About Cheyenne Bryant
1. She is a College Graduate
When she became a college student at the age of 17, she did so at Cal State University in Northridge. She took on difficult courses so that she could obtain the degree she wanted. She studied psychology as well as Pan African studies.
2. She Did Not Immediately Know What She Wanted
She knew she wanted to study both fields, but she did not know at the time which one she wanted to make her future. She was uncertain, and that meant she spent the first two years of her college career wondering and going back and forth about what she would do with her life and the education she was working so hard to obtain.
3. She Earned Her Masters Degree Elsewhere
While she was deciding what to do with her life, she fell into psychology as a continued path in her own education. She left college with a Bachelor’s Degree and moved on to work on her Master’s. She did this at the University of Phoenix.
4. She Went Elsewhere for her Doctorate
She finished her Master’s, and that’s when she made the decision to work on her doctorate. She did this by enrolling in courses at Argosy University. She was ready to take things as far as she could, and she wasn’t stopping until she was Dr. Bryant. It was her dream, and she was making it happen for herself.
5. She is a Philanthropist
When she’s not working on herself, her career, or her life, she is busy making sure others are taken care of. She’s founded programs that help those in need gain access to things such as basic hygiene items, employment opportunities, and so much more. She spends a great deal of her time focused on those things, and it brings her a lot of peace. She also works with many programs, foundations, and she sits on boards that are designed to better the world.
6. She’s Broken
The entire reason she went into the line of work in which she went into, and then changed direction to become a life coach is simple; she was a broken child and she grew into a broken adult. She needed to help herself, and her desire to help herself is also something she likes to share with others. She works hard to help others find themselves and put back their pieces.
7. She’s Focused on Depression and Anxiety
In her opinion, she’s seeing so much more of this than she ever has in the past. She’s seeing people who are dealing with mental health issues who cannot seem to overcome what their mind is telling them versus what they are living, and she’s determined to help. She’s also seeing an increase in addiction and other substance abuse, too.
8. She’s Excited to See More People Seek Therapy
Another aspect of her job is the stigma around therapy. Many believe it’s only for people who have major problems or life issues, but it’s healthy for just about everyone to have someone to talk to, someone to listen to. Dr. Bryant is excited to see more people ignoring the stigma and working on finding a good therapist.
9. She is an Overachiever
But, she has a different definition than many. She does not see this as something that denotes a negative feeling. Rather, she feels that being an overachiever is a good, helpful, positive thing that allows people to simply improve their lives. It is, in her definition, the act of simply growing and becoming better.
10. She’s an Author
She’s written many books, but she might just feel that her first book is a special one in her heart. It’s called “Mental Detox,” and it’s a book she wrote for her clients and the world. In it, she helps readers learn to replace their negative thinking and thoughts with positive actions, thoughts, and sequences, and she educates throughout.
Enough said, she may not have a doctorate but she seems pretty dang accomplished to me
Woah – Someone is a serious Coach B fan .. Not denying she’s a hustler, it’s actually quite obvious with this interview on a gossip site. It’s the lack of ethics this chick has. I read this site on the regular but something about this unnecessary interview is just gross.
Actually i haven’t even heard of her until recently, but I believe in doing my research and educating myself before making an educated comment.
I Googled Chyenne Bryant and this is some of what came up. It’s from a site called tvovermind.com (also a site I’ve never heard of until today).
Because they aren’t really her patients.
They use licensed medical professionals to give weight that they are speaking from experience/ are experts, but then call them something like a “coach”, so people know they aren’t Maci’s & Rhine’s specific medical professionals.
Dr. Drew always states that it would be illegal for him to actually treat any of the teen moms. I mean I hate Dr. Drew, but he’s right it would be unethical for him to treat someone/ diagnose someone based on a few clips he gets before he goes on stage.
It’s time for Maci to follow Chelsea’s footsteps and quit. Her children need and deserve privacy, especially Bentley. Stop airing his very private feelings for all the world to see. Get a job and move on
No job is ever going to pay Maci (& Taylor) as much as she gets paid from this show. And as much as Chelsea annoys me and her husband’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
I can see Chelsea’s appeal. She’s pretty, her husband is conventionally attractive.
Also, I think Viacom, years ago tried to soft-launch Maci to have her own reality show, and she’s just boring. No one really wants to see an entire show of her driving carpool and talking about PCOS.
I mean she’s already exploited her kids for everything, might as well. Make the most of it, and get them enough money that they will have a multi-million dollar trust fund.
I think it’s highly inappropriate of maxi to have Bentley doing this on national tv.. she’s kinda a hypocrite
How is Bentley handling it? In the public eye because his mom doesn’t want a real job and his “therapist” is blabbing to the whole world about his feelings on his junkie father’s latest arrest. I don’t care if Maci gave permission, sharing any of this information about a minor should be a crime. In fact, if he wasn’t trapped in the basically unregulated reality TV world, this sharing of information would be a crime. But it’s cool, his mom got paid! Disgusting.