Using media to teach how not to do psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

This article describes how using media depictions of psychotherapy may help in teaching psychiatric residents.

METHODS

Using the HBO series In Treatment as a model, the authors suggest how boundary transgressions and technical errors may inform residents about optimal psychotherapeutic approaches.

RESULTS

The psychotherapy vignettes depicted in In Treatment show how errors in judgment may grow out of therapists' good intentions. These errors can be understood and used constructively for teaching.

CONCLUSION

With the growing interest in depicting psychotherapy on popular TV series, the use of these sessions avoids confidentiality problems and may be a useful adjunct for teaching psychotherapy.