Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning: Using Popular Movies in Psychotherapy

In the age of managed care, homework is becoming a relied-upon adjunct to brief therapy. Videowork is a therapeutic process in which therapists assign films that relate to core issues of on-going therapy for clients to watch between sessions and then discuss the clients' reactions to the videos in future sessions. While watching a video will not make the client "all better," therapists can assign films to promote clients' self-understanding, introduce action plans or "seed" future therapeutic interventions. This text offers an introduction to using video in therapy and provides a ready-reference for therapists who want to assign videos as homework but need some guidance about what films to select in specific situations. It shows therapists how they can use video assignments to enhance traditional therapy, and provides concise descriptions of dozens of popular videos, showing how they can be used as therapy for specific therapy needs, such as divorce, child abuse, and substance abuse.