Film Psychotherapy in the 21st Century

Psychotherapy is commonly depicted in films. Films, then, help to inform the public about the nature of psychotherapy and psychotherapists. Although much has been written about the portrayal of psychotherapy in films, there has been little empirical investigation of films from the 21st century. The current study provides a systematic investigation of the portrayal of therapists and therapy in films released between 2000 and 2013. Trained volunteers coded films with characters identified as psychotherapists. Data are presented for ratings on 22 films in which therapist characters appeared on screen for at least 15 minutes. Therapists were predominantly Caucasian, male, and between ages 40 and 60 years. Their most common characteristics were generally positive-intelligent, caring, knowledgeable, and compassionate. More than half were portrayed as unethical, and more than one-third as manipulative. Therapists were also commonly shown as touching clients in some way, disclosing client information without permission, and becoming involved in social relationships with clients. In addition, it was often unclear whether clients benefitted from their engagement in therapy. The observed portrayals raise serious concerns about their potential impact on viewers. Viewers may be discouraged from seeking help and may have increased vulnerability to exploitation because of a lack of understanding of what is appropriate and inappropriate therapist behavior.