In Treatment

No really what do you think of it?

So, my curiosity got the best of me, my patients goading me on helped too: “come on Doc. you’ve got to watch it”. I am talking about the HBO series In Treatment.

So, I watched one and then I watched a second one… and then I was hooked!
I found myself talking to the TV. Things like: “in God’s name Paul, what on earth are you talking about” or “Good boy Paul, you’ve got it!” or the best yet “ Have you gone out of your mind? Are you seriously going to do that?” All these while a little voice in some forgotten recess of my mind kept repeating: “hypocrite, haven’t you done this same thing or thought that?”

I got mixed reviews from my patients. Some gave me the stamp of approval: “Paul is saying some of the things you say, I feel I understand therapy a lot better now”. Thank you Paul!

Others told me that they were disturbed by it. They do not want to think of me as “human” having real life problems, struggling with emotional turmoil.

One tried to convince me that having a romantic relationship with me is not unethical or illegal because Paul was about to have one with Laura.

What I found appealing is that Paul is a real person who is trying to do his best while life is happening all around him. No matter how much he hurts, when he opens the door for his next patient he tries to connect, he tries to do his best. He cares about his patients because he has gotten that much right: you can not do this job unless you really care.
You do not need to be perfect, you do not need pedestals to sit on, you just need to try and you need to care. Oh yes, and you do need the skills and the education.

What do you think?