Movie Recommendation: C’Mon C’mon Staring Joaquin Phoenix
I recently had the fortunate opportunity to view the film “C’mon, C’mon” by A24 studios. This impressive, poignant, and beautiful film did a masterful job portraying a family navigating the dynamics of a father struggling with bipolar disorder. The focus of the film was on the relationship between the family members, with lots of attention on the character of the nine-year-old son (Woody Norman) coping with the chaos and confusion of a father with bipolar I disorder. The film managed to portray this character delicately, balancing the almost adult-like maturity of a precocious child whose parent is mentally ill and has to grow up quicker than his years as a result, and the fact that he’s just nine years old and still very much a child. I could see how some filmmakers would be tempted to over-dramatize the son’s distress with more acting out, but the film’s actual depiction of this character was much more realistic and accurate. He acted out in subtle ways and tested the adults in his life to make sure they could actually take care of him, unlike his father. The child’s insecurity and need for reassurance by testing adults, cloaked in demonstrations of independence, was heartbreaking and real. As a clinician, I was impressed by the filmmaking decisions around this character. The narrative choice of this black-and-white arthouse film added to the flow, rawness, and realism of the film. The unpartnered uncle (Joaquin Phoenix) who does not have children takes care of the nine-year-old child and finds himself ill-equipped to handle or understand the behaviors of the child. While the child demonstrates his distress through his actions, it is his mother (Gaby Hoffman) who explains her son’s experience to her brother (the uncle) over phone calls and text messages, as he expresses his confusion and struggle to properly care for the boy. I found that this narrative choice strengthened the film by showing the vulnerability and distress of all the characters. At the same time, the mother models honesty and straightforward communication with her son, which is both destigmatizing and refreshing. She expresses her own insecurity in her parenting choices and her attempt to be as honest with her son as possible as a means of accepting and coping with her husband’s bipolar disorder. Adults in the film stumble and stutter in their attempt to support and explain mental illness to a young child, making them real and sympathetic. The filmmakers show how disruptive bipolar I can be on a family’s life and, in doing so, trades stigma and shame for compassion and acceptance. The slightly overblown (at the end) message of “it’s OK to not be OK” when having to cope with difficult things is an important one for all of us, especially youth. As we navigate the (hopefully) tail end of a global pandemic, the message that it’s OK for us to not be OK and to need extra help and support is a great one. Perhaps my favorite scene in the film is one in which the uncle engages in a scripted (on his end) conversation with his nephew to process and apologize for a difficult incident between them. The child, obviously no neophyte to therapeutic interventions and interactions, is accepting of and patient with his uncle. As a clinician who focuses on working with children, I loved seeing what I often see in my office play out on the screen. A final cool detail is that there are interviews with real children (not actors) throughout the film about their challenging life experiences and thoughts about the future. Kudos to Mike Mills (writer/director) and A24 studio for creating this raw, touching film that continues the conversation on mental illness and its impact on families. Seeing this topic portrayed so directly in mainstream media makes me feel hopeful that we are moving in the right direction as a society in response to mental illness. I highly recommend seeing “C’mon C’mon”! – Daniela J. Owen, Ph.D.
Working With Emotion in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Tompkins, M. A. (2017). Working With Emotion in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Emotions In Psychotherapy Video Series. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA In cognitive-behavioral therapy, emotion stands with thought and behavior as one of the interacting elements that make up a person’s inner life. In this approach, all three are seen as connected and influencing one another: Emotion may signal the presence of important therapeutic material in the cognitive or behavioral realm, and similarly, behaviors and thoughts could contribute to developing unhelpful emotions such as chronic anxiety. In this program, Dr. Michael A. Tompkins explores the ways that cognitive behavioral therapy works with emotion, and guest experts Norka T. Malberg and Leslie S. Greenberg ask Dr. Tompkins questions as he discusses excerpts from previously published videos that illustrate aspects of this approach to working with emotion.
Comparing Models of Emotion in Therapy
Leslie S. Greenberg, Ph.D., Norka T. Malberg, PsyD, and Michael A. Tompkins, Ph.D. (2017). Comparing Models of Emotion in Therapy. Emotions In Psychotherapy Video Series. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA In cognitive-behavioral therapy, emotion stands with thought and behavior as one of the interacting elements that make up a person’s inner life. In this approach, all three are seen as connected and influence one another: Emotion may signal the presence of important therapeutic material in the cognitive or behavioral realm, and similarly, behaviors and thoughts could contribute to developing unhelpful emotions such as chronic anxiety. In this program, Dr. Michael A. Tompkins explores the ways that cognitive behavioral therapy works with emotion, and guest experts Norka T. Malberg and Leslie S. Greenberg ask Dr. Tompkins questions as he discusses excerpts from previously published videos that illustrate aspects of this approach to working with emotion.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Depression
Persons, J. B., Davidson, J., & Tompkins, M. A. (2000). Cognitive-behavior therapy for depression: Activity Scheduling. APA Psychotherapy Videotape Series. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA In Activity Scheduling, Drs. Jacqueline B. Persons, Joan Davidson, and Michael A. Tompkins explain and demonstrate one of the fundamental building blocks of cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT): helping a client schedule activities. Activity scheduling is a powerful intervention and is more complicated than it may seem at first. This video provides guidelines for successful activity scheduling, a demonstration with a client who is depressed, and a detailed discussion of the theory and practice of this technique. This video features a client portrayed by an actor on the basis of actual case material.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Depression: Schema Change Methods
Tompkins, M. A., Persons, & J. B., Davidson, J. (2000). Cognitive-behavior therapy for depression: Schema change methods. APA Psychotherapy Videotape Series. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA In Schema Change Methods, Drs. Michael A. Tompkins, Jacqueline B. Persons, and Joan Davidson discuss and illustrate ways for changing a client’s maladaptive core beliefs in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Schemas are cognitive structures that allow people to make sense of their experiences. Distorted schemas can contribute to depression. This video first defines schema, then presents theoretical rationale and empirical support, a discussion of the positive data log, and a demonstration with a client. This video features a client portrayed by an actor on the basis of actual case material.
Individualized Case Formulation and Treatment Planning
Persons, J. B., Tompkins, M. A., & Davidson, J. (2000). Cognitive-behavior therapy for depression: Individualized case formulation and treatment planning. APA Psychotherapy Videotape Series. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA In Individualized Case Formulation and Treatment Planning, Drs. Jacqueline B. Persons, Michael A. Tompkins, and Joan Davidson explain and demonstrate the initial steps in cognitive–behavioral therapy. Case formulation and treatment planning are important steps in the therapy process that will affect work with the client throughout the course of therapy. The video provides guidelines for case formulation and treatment planning, a demonstration with a client who is depressed, and detailed discussion of these steps. This video features a client portrayed by an actor on the basis of actual case material.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Specific Phobias.
Tompkins, M. A. (2012). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for specific phobias. APA Psychotherapy Videotape Series II (Specific Treatments for Specific Populations). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Order Now from the APA Exposure-based cognitive–behavioral therapy is the treatment of choice for specific phobias. A phobia, or an extreme fear of a specific situation or object that results in severe distress or highly avoidant behavior around those objects or situations, can interfere with day-to-day functioning. Using cognitive restructuring strategies with graduated exposure to the feared object, the therapist helps the client to correct anxiety-evoking misappraisals and to replace them with more realistic interpretations and predictions. In this video, Dr. Tompkins works with a man with a cat phobia. The client’s cat phobia has evolved over time, and he has experienced interference in his personal and professional life. Dr. Tompkins supplements exposure-based strategies with cognitive restructuring to help the client to clarify and change his phobic predictions and decrease his avoidant behavior.