Cinema Therapy: Using the Power of Movies in the Therapeutic Process

Movies affect us powerfully because the synergistic impact of music, dialogue, lighting, camera angles and sound effects enables a film to bypass our ordinary defensive censors. They draw us into the viewing experience and at the same time – often more easily than in real life – afford a unique opportunity to retain a perspective outside the experience, the observer’s view.

This unique and innovative intermediate course will teach therapists how to help clients build a bridge between their realizations in “reel” life and their experiences in real life. It will show that this can be therapeutic, transformational and can shorten the course of therapy by facilitating insights and bolstering the therapeutic alliance. Cinema Therapy, a modality drawing increased interest amongst therapists, uses the impact of movies to help clients change negative beliefs, manage destructive emotions, develop self-esteem, discover forgotten strengths and grow in the face of a loss or disappointment.

The course consists of one article, Cinema Therapy: Using the Power of Imagery in Films for the Therapeutic Process, which details the background and clinical utility of Cinema Therapy and explains how it can be integrated into the (standard) therapeutic process with individuals, families and groups. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.

Due to copyright laws, this course does not include movie clips, only descriptions of the movies.

Disclaimer: This course is purely educational and does not intend to serve as a license (or permission) to mental health professionals to prescribe or practice any of the approaches discussed in this course unless they fall within the scope of practice of your profession. Check with your licensing board about the scope of practice of your profession to make sure you practice within that scope.It also does not serve as a permission to title yourself in any specific way.