What the world needs now is psychotherapy, sweet therapy.
That’s the word from Dr. Orna Gurlanik, the featured attraction and real-life psychoanalyst on Showtime’s “Couples Therapy,” which is currently shooting its fifth season (launch date not yet determined). And she believes the critically acclaimed series has struck a chord with audiences because of how the show aims to promote psychological thinking rather than just therapy, encouraging deeper self-reflection and understanding of others.
“I think that’s one of the reasons the show became so successful,” Gurlanik says on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” “It just hit a spot that is desperately needed, which is deeper, slower thought into the underlying motivations.”
As for her own motivations in opening up a version of how she conducts her private practice for public consumption, Guralnik sees a big responsibility that comes with the gig. “I also feel, in certain ways, compelled to represent the profession well, and I think the world kind of needs a lot more psychological and psychoanalytic thinking nowadays,” she says.
Listen to the full podcast:
Guralnik goes deep on the ethical ramifications of her process, making clear what TV viewers see has many elements of actual therapy sessions but isn’t quite the real thing because of how the cameras change the dynamic in the room, compromising confidentiality.
Guralnik also describes her initial reluctance to participate in the show, as psychoanalysts are typically very private people. But the show’s creators convinced her to try it, and they all approached it as a big experiment to see if therapy could be recreated on camera.
In addition, Guralnik looks to the future of the show, musing about the possibility it could one day continue without her but with a different therapist on the couch.
“Strictly Business” is Variety’s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. A new episode debuts each Wednesday and can be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud.
