In recent years, there has been a surge in films and TV shows that explore the world of therapy and mental health, and for a good reason - watching these types of media can be incredibly beneficial for our mental health and well-being. Films about therapy help to gain insight into the therapy process and can provide a window into events happening behind the closed doors of the counselling office.
By watching how therapists interact with their clients, we can understand the different approaches that therapists use, the types of issues that people bring to therapy, and the potential benefits of seeking therapy.
In this blog post, we offer five recent TV series about different types of therapy:
The Patient is an American psychological thriller limited series created and written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg and aired in October 2022. It’s always good when somebody seeks therapy, but it’s less good when they take their therapist hostage and demand they silence their urge to kill. In this psychological thriller, a serial killer named Sam Fortner takes a therapist, Alan Strauss, hostage. Alan must attempt to stop Sam from killing again — and avoid becoming his next victim.
In Treatment (season 4). Set in present-day L.A., this reimagining of HBO's enthralling drama series follows observant, empathetic, and complicated therapist Dr Brooke Taylor (three-time Emmy(R) winner Uzo Aduba) as she helps a captivating trio of patients navigate complex issues--from the pandemic to sexuality, relationships, and major social and cultural shifts--while dealing with her own demons. Season 4 of In Treatment was aired in May 2021.
Couples Therapy Australia (season 1). This series follows three diverse couples over ten weeks as they meet with a registered clinical psychotherapist to resolve long-standing conflicts and strive to reinvigorate their relationships. At the helm of the show is psychotherapist Marryam Chehelnabi, who will be leading the couples through this course with the aim of finding new connections and compassion with one another. Season 1 of Couples Therapy Australia was aired in July 2022.
The Shrink Next Door. Inspired by true events, this series details the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist to the stars Dr Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (played by Paul Rudd) and his long-time patient Martin “Marty” Markowitz (played by Will Ferrell). Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly inserts himself into Marty’s life. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs, and dysfunction at its finest. The show was released in November 2021.
Group (2 seasons). You don't really know yourself until you look through someone else's eyes. In a room with Dr Ezra, eight New Yorkers explore hidden truths about their intimacy, loneliness, sexuality, and fears. Inspired by Irvin Yalom’s novel “The Schopenhauer Cure”, GROUP is a fly-on-the-wall experience of a kind you've never seen before. Both seasons have been available on YouTube since April 2020.
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