Technologies
Doc Hollywood North: Part II.
The Clinical Applications of Movies in
Psychiatry
Harry Karlinsky, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Clinical Professor and Director, Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development, Department
of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia; Faculty Associate, Office for Faculty Development and
Educational Support, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
harryk@telus.net
Abstract: Some therapists are now using Hollywood mov-
ies as therapeutic tools. The most common approach ap-
pears to be a movie “prescription” in the context of
ongoing therapy. Before a relevant movie is assigned, the
therapist provides the rationale and viewing instructions;
patient impressions and reactions are then processed in
subsequent sessions. Although appealing as a creative
intervention, the therapeutic efficacy and safety of movies
requires appropriate research.
Résumé : Doc Hollywood North : L’application des
enseignements du cinéma en psychiatrie (2e partie)
Certains thérapeutes utilisent désormais des films produits
par Hollywood comme outils thérapeutiques. L’approche la
plus répandue semble être une « ordonnance » de cinéma
dans le contexte d’une thérapie en cours. Avant d’assigner
un film pertinent, le thérapeute en explique la raison et les
instructions de visionnement. Il traite ensuite les impres-
sions et les réactions du patient lors de séances
subséquentes. Bien que cette intervention créatrice soit
attirante, l’efficacité et la sûreté thérapeutiques du cinéma
nécessitent une recherche appropriée.
Key Words: movies, therapy, clinical implications
Movies can and do have profound clinical implica-
tions. Of interest, an increasing number of mental
health professionals appear to be actively assigning or
“prescribing” movies for therapeutic purposes. Conceptu-
ally, Hesley and Hesly consider this use of movies to be a
form of therapeutic homework (1)—structured assign-
ments introduced by therapists during sessions and com-
pleted at home by patients (2). With this perspective in
mind, therapy with movies can also be seen as a logical
extension of “bibliotherapy”—the prescription of thera-
peutic readings to patients. Bibliotherapists such as Men-
ninger believed that selected literature could provide
information and lead to insight (3). In a similar way, those
who use movies argue that they introduce patients to ideas
that might be too threatening to suggest directly (4). Fur-
ther, by addressing the affective realm, movies add to the
impact of cognitive insights. Although books and other
types of homework can be extremely appropriate, Hesley
and Hesley believe that the general advantages of film as-
signments over other modalities include factors such as
compliance, accessibility, availability and familiarity with
the medium (1).
In his book The Motion Picture Prescription (5),
Solomons offers one method for using movies: he sug-
gests that they be viewed as “healing stories” that can lead
to self-enrichment, self-awareness and a path to recovery.
Solomons provides a list of over 200 movies categorized
by identifying themes or life problems. As an example,
the healing themes within the film When Harry Met Sally
include helping your friends through relationship break-
ups and recognizing that life and love have their ups and
downs. Solomons’ book is written for the general popula-
tion and has a self-help orientation; however, he also pro-
vides a few brief and practical tips for therapists.
Solomons even provides two easily used prescription
forms: a motion picture prescription pad (Figure 1) and a
motion picture prescription list. Although he suggests that
“both of these tools will make prescribing movies a pro-
fessional way to treat your clients,” these forms may
strike at least some therapists and patients as more infan-
tile than helpful.
A more sophisticated approach to using films as therapeu-
tic tools is outlined by Hesley and Hesley (Rent Two
Films and Let’s Talk in the Morning [1]). These authors
use the term “video work” to describe the “therapeutic
process in which clients and therapists discuss themes and
characters in popular films that relate to core issues of on-
going therapy.” (Other terms used in the literature to de-
scribe what seems to be a similar therapeutic intervention
include motion picture therapy, cinema therapy, reel ther-
apy and movie therapy.) Their goal is to use films to facil-
itate self-understanding, to introduce options for action
plans and to seed future therapeutic interventions. In gen-
eral, the subject matter of the selected film corresponds to
14 CPA Bulletin de l’APC—April 2003 avril
