Are You Watching United States of Tara? How About In Treatment?
DeeAnna Merz Nagel
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the surge in television shows that focus on mental health, treatment, therapy….? The other day I received a solicitous email about a new reality TV show that will feature two counselors who are related. Yes I did. The show is looking for counselors who are married or have some other relationship to be cast in the show. The solicitation asked for a headshot, resume and bio. Wow. I could hardly finish reading the email before my head was just spinning with all of the ethical implications of THAT.
But still, it does seem like there are many shows airing on TV that focus on mental health (or the lack of). Now there is even a show on the Web featuring Lisa Kudrow of Friends fame. Web Therapy is a comedy offering a 3 minute version of therapy via webcam. The show has recently been made available on YouTube.
United States of Tara: One Woman Multiple Personalities airs on Showtime…typical (?) housewife who is your “average mother, teenager and biker dude.”
In Treatment airs on HBO… “An emotional and provocative series, ‘In Treatment’ brings dynamic focus to a staple of modern society — the psychotherapy session.”
Intervention airs on A&E… “Watch people confront their addictions with treatment and the help of their friends and families through drug and alcohol intervention.” In fact, if you google the word intervention, the show’s website takes the number one spot…not say, an actual treatment facility…
Mental airs on Fox… “A a medical mystery drama featuring Dr. Jack Gallagher, a radically unorthodox psychiatrist…”
Do shows like these and others like them promote our field or cause viewers to think even less about the idea of seeking help from a professional when faced with mental health issues and life stressors? I find myself falling into TV Rage (this is similar to Road Rage, and like Road Rage, not yet in the DSM) when I watch these shows. I shout at the TV when something about mental illness or the way we do our work is portrayed in a way that I find unsatisfactory. Even when I am amused or find an episode particularly gripping, I can’t seem to completely embrace the experience. And sometimes I feel like I am back at work!
So, it’s your turn. What do you think?
DeeAnna Merz Nagel is a clinical counselor, teacher, workshop presenter, sat on the ACA Cyber Technology Taskforce, and is co-founder of the Online Therapy Institute.
Also:
-”Obsessed” on A&E features the treatment of OCD using CBT techniques like exposure and response prevention
-”Head Case” is a comedy on Starz follows an over the top therapist to the stars Dr. Goode.
Best-
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I was simply speechless when I saw the previews for United States of Tara. I did feel as if the only result of shows like that would be to drive people further away from seeking much needed help.
Now my thoughts on Intervention are different. I do think some shows are beneficial in that they paint a bigger picture of some issues. It allows us to see that the people effected are just as diverse as the problems.
Out of the shows listed I have only seen “Mental” and only one episode, but I had to laugh when the client in the show who was admitted to the psychiatric unit of a hospital because of a suicide attempt was placed in a room that had a vase with flowers. The room looked pretty, but to put glass in a room with a suicidal client is just asking for trouble.
Regardless of their accuracy, television shows featuring mental health bread familiarity with our field. Familiarity breads comfortablity. As people feel more comfortable with the mental health field, I believe and hope that they will be more likely to seek help when they need it.
Yes, I agree that many shows and movies seem ridiculous in how they portray therapists and clients. But I can’t help wondering how many people who watched The Bob Newhart show were able to laugh at themselves for the first time, both as therapists and clients. Sometimes, we really do take ourselves too seriously and it’s easier to see ourselves up on a screen rather than to have someone say directly to us “stop taking yourself so seriously”. Ouch, that can hurt! And then there are movies like Snake Pit and Sybil (w/Sally Field and Joan Woodward), that inspired me to even pursue this field. Maybe we need more shows and movies like those…
My overall opinion is that Americans are becoming increasingly interested in human behavior (witness the plethora of reality shows) and dramas that include counseling are a natural extension of that. The Sopranos did an excellent job of this. The other examples cited – as well as the first season of Mad Men – don’t do the profession any favors. They ignore ethics and professionalism so much that it is apparent to me that the writers do very little research into how counseling works.
I watched the first segment of the second season of In Treatment and was appalled that the therapist did not immediately ask for another attorney when he found out his assigned attorney was a former client. That was enough for me. I won’t be watching any more episodes.
While I enjoy “The United States of Tara” I find the counselor difficult to watch. In particular, I am amazed at her seeing Tara’s husband on an informal basis. I can only hope the scenes of superviosry sessions were left on the cutting room floor. Otherwise she is learning about DID on the fly. I could write a dissertation on the ethical issues the show raises.
As for Intervention, I find the show fascinating. I am riveted by the unfolding of the family dynamics as the show progresses. I think the counselors are very professional and are willing to call out family members when they are detracting from the process. It is my only reality TV indulgence. I think it is very informative, though.
I have actually used segments of In Treatment to promote discussion on ethics, talk about client counselor relationship (school counselors) and multicultural counseling (male/female; race/ethnicity). They actually enjoyed seeing contemporary video of therapy sessions. The show was something their generation could relate to easily.
I’m going to take a look at United States of Tara, Intervention and others this summer to consider their use in future classes.
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