Filming of psychotherapeutic sessions as a personal experience

Abstract

When I was asked to write of my experiences in being filmed for psychotherapeutic study, I first thought back on the total amount of experience I had. This, it would seem, is approximately six half-hour films of initial interviews with patients (largely psychotic), approximately two hours of therapy sessions with psychotic patients, twenty-five minutes of an hour long film on psychiatry during which a “stranger” was interviewed, and three half-hour RV films as a member of a three-man panel. The outstanding feature of the therapy filming experiences was my own reaction to the finished production. I did not feel well acquainted with the individual upon the screen who was masquerading as I. The voice I had become somewhat used to because of listening to hours upon hours of tape-recordings; however, the appearance was another matter. Even after six years, I am still not entirely comfortable with the recognition of myself as a psychotherapist when my image is splashed upon the screen for the instruction and criticism of psychiatric residents.