Agreed on both comments here -- I'm not sure that Rom Coms or romance novels are the best model for successful relationships. And I heard the anecdote third hand, so I may be missing important details. But if the idea was to provide a contrasting model where the male romantic figure didn't treat his woman like a maul, then rom coms probably have a few good examples inside the genre. (There are also several where either the guy or the woman is a complete jerk. Hopefully, the therapist gave her a list of good ones!)