HBO presents new therapy show, “In Treatment”

When those of us old enough to remember the 70s think of a television show about psychotherapy, the Bob Newhart Show is typically the one that comes to mind first. The sitcom featured a basic “how NOT to” lesson about group therapy, although Bob’s therapist character (Dr. Hartley) always seemed sincere and well-intentioned.

How well do the entertainment media portray psychotherapy? Because I’m not a therapist myself, I’ll leave the answer to that question to the experts. One show that gets rave reviews from many therapists, particularly those with a psychoanalytical bent, is The Sopranos. The show’s writers have received awards from the Western Regional Psychoanalytic Association for their accurate portrayal of Tony Soprano’s therapy sessions. On a bit of an odd note, I was unable to find a webpage for the Western Regional Psychoanalytic Association–if any of my readers know where they are, please let me know. The article discussing their award for the writers appeared in the New York Times, so hopefully, the author got the name of the group right.

Now that The Sopranos has ended, does this mean psychotherapy is off the air, too? Not so. HBO is debuting a new show featuring psychotherapy more centrally, In Treatment. You can watch the trailer for the show here. The show features a therapist, Paul, and his interactions with a different client each night of the week (the show runs every weeknight at 9:30 p.m. beginning on Monday, January 28th).

So…if you check out the show, let me know what you think. Realistic or not?