Heather Locklear misses her 10-year-old daughter, Ava

"The hardest part of all of this is being apart from Ava," says one Locklear friend. "But she knows she'll be better than ever, and that they'll both really benefit from this. She's feeling better, but it's tough."

Locklear, 46, checked herself in on June 19 for an in-depth evaluation of the medication she'd been taking for anxiety and depression.

"Heather's really happy that Ava got to spend time with her dad," says her pal, adding that Locklear and her rocker ex, 48, "are speaking all the time."

Images WENN