Psychologists’ Use of Motion Pictures in Clinical Practice

Do professional psychologists use motion pictures in clinical practice? If so, do they consider motion pictures to have therapeutic value? Of 827 licensed practicing psychologists, 67% reported the use of motion pictures to promote therapy gains. Most of these practitioners (88%) considered the use of motion pictures as effective in promoting treatment outcome, and only a minority (1%) reported them as potentially harmful. Compared with their psychodynamic counterparts, therapists practicing within eclectic–integrative, cognitive–behavioral, or humanistic frameworks were more likely to view or use motion pictures as therapeutic tools. Psychologists provided individual evaluations of 27 motion pictures that deal with a variety of mental health subjects, and overall they were characterized as “moderately helpful.” Clinical applications and issues pertaining to using motion pictures in therapy are summarized.