TILT – Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology
REEL CULTURE
Jean-Anne Sutherland
Blended Families in the Movies According to movie therapist, Bernie Wooder, film viewing can be a constructive therapeutic method. Wooder states, “Because films are seen from a third person's perspective, clients can overcome feelings of denial when working with deep-seated problems.” Certainly increasing numbers of therapists have begun to consider the potential of assigning films to clients in order to tap emotional experiences. As I have suggested in previous columns, it seems to me (the sociologist in the room full of psychotherapists) that while the technique may well produce positive results, there are considerations to be made before turning a client loose on a film. (Wooder cites no peerreviewed work on his website thus I am unclear as to how his methods are received in the psych community) Again, as the pesky sociologist, it seems important to make sure films are not accepted at face value. For instance, does a movie promote individualism (“anyone can do it if they try hard enough!”) at the expense of structural considerations (e.g., economic or racial privilege)? Most of us, after viewing Shirley Valentine, can’t exactly escape to Greece, no matter the tug. If told to watch Rocky for lessons on self-esteem, do we consider representations of hyper-masculinity? These thoughts, accompanied by some personal experiences, led me to consider how a film therapist 34
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might deal with issues related to blended families. As we know, the numbers of blended family households continue to increase. In the U.S., research shows that approximately 50% of Americans presently, or at some point in their lives, will live in a stepfamily relationship. These figures are a bit higher than data from Canada and Australia, but there too we see an increase. We also know that this “blending” is often anything but a “blend.” Oftentimes it feels more like trying to blend crushed glass into a smoothie. With the apparent difficulties that children and adults face while attempting this brave act, how might movies help? With this in mind, I went on a quest for blendedfamily films. Should a therapist want to refer clients to film images, what sorts of movies are out there? In short, I found that most of these films (as movies are wont to do) skirt the thorny and complex issues of family blending in favor of a “feel good” product. While most of them do grapple with the difficulties,