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Educating Psychologists on how to use Film/Video-Based Therapy and Virtual Reality in their Practice to Treat Trauma in patients
VIRTUAL REALITY AND FILMMAKING AS THERAPY
Film/video-based therapy involves making movies with clients. It draws from several disciplines from cinema therapy, expressive therapy, narrative therapy, art therapy,[1] digital storytelling, and phototherapy[2] which requires a collaboration to integrate the many dynamic aspects of art and medicine. Joshua Lee Cohen Ph.D., author and co-editor of Video and Filmmaking as Psychotherapy: Research and Practice (published by Routledge in 2015), helped to establish a collaborative effort in forming film/video-based therapy. This form of therapy is about making films with clients, as opposed to cinema therapy, which involves watching films. Cohen has utilized watching films and mindfulness in his work.[3] Cohen has been cited in Tuval-Mashiach and Patton’s clinical trial [4] and participated in peer reviewed research on the use of video narrative in cancer research.[5] It is not trademarked for advertising or financial purposes but intended to protect the sanctity of the license for mental health professionals and the use of the word “therapy” when used in conjunction with film/video in the United States.[6] (Other countries may have different policies)
Film/video-based therapy is used in both research and practice. It has several names. Each name has a slightly different purpose for each population. In some cases, film/video-based therapy and Virtual Reality can be used with psychological assessments first before using filmmaking as recreational activities. This can keep the clinical aspects from the fun of the recreational activities. Psychological assessments need to be conducted by licensed psychologists, recreational activities can be done with art therapists, Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers, filmmakers, digital storytellers, and others qualified to run groups and recreational activities with the support of a licensed clinician. Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery are just two examples of the use of storytelling and trauma work without requiring a licensed professional as they are often run by peers. [7][8]
In California, peers with mental health challenges might run storytelling groups approved by state bill 803 as long as they pass a state-backed peer certification program. Once they pass the certification program, they will bill off of insurance for running these groups.