Show Review: Couples Therapy
Couples Therapy Review
Name of Documentary/Show: Couples Therapy
Found on: Showtime
Directors/Producers: Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegman
Age Rating: 16+
Trigger Warnings: discussions of child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, pregnancy loss, racially charged violence, protests, covid-19 pandemic outbreak
Who this Documentary is Good for: anyone interested in therapy, involved in intimate relationships or looking for more effective communication with their partner(s)
Why We Love This Documentary/Show:
This documentary is unique in that it captures the raw and oftentimes uncomfortable and painful moments that come with intimate relationships. The candid reality documentary series follows Dr. Orna Guralnik, Clinical Psychologist & Psychoanalyst, as she strives to understand the inner workings of her clients and the way each partner’s upbringing, past experiences, and trauma impacts the dynamic of the current relationship. Her work centers around unpacking the core emotions and realities underneath the stories that each couple shares. Dr. Guralnik’s profound and deeply reflective insight on the nature of intimate relationships and effective communication brings each couple’s collective challenges to the forefront of conversation. The observable progress that each couple makes throughout the extent of the show speaks volumes to the levels of accountability, open-mindedness, and growth each partner develops from the therapeutic experience.
Why it Stands Out:
This show will change viewers’ outlook on collective healing and recovery within intimate relationships. The couples highlighted in the show go through failed pregnancies, infidelity, trust issues, miscommunications, emotional abuse, intergenerational trauma, and more, and they face these issues together as a team. The show captures an inside perspective on how these couples navigate issues that feel insurmountable. Some couples decide to stay together, and some couples ultimately decide to separate after discovering unresolvable differences at the core of their dynamic. Dr. Guralnik encourages her clients to connect with their own personal truth in order to work through conflict effectively and reach pure authenticity within the relationship.
Not only does the show capture clinical moments through the clients’ lens, but it also captures the challenges of being a therapist and holding space for the weight of others’ intense stories and trauma. Dr. Guralnik works to maintain focus on the most important goal of couples’ therapy beyond simply “saving the relationship”- bringing truth to the surface. She speaks to the difficulty of staying unbiased and neutral, maintaining patience, and sitting with the uncertainty of the decisions her clients make outside of therapy. Dr. Guralnik emphasizes the amount of dedication and love that it takes to sustain a relationship. She notes, “Accumulating a long history with someone and finding a way to continue loving them despite anything that comes your way that might make it difficult- there’s enormous growth and beauty in that.”
Highlights:
Dr. Guralnik works with a diverse range of clientele, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks. As a cisgender white woman, she works to address her privilege and the power dynamics that are inevitably created in the therapy office when working with people of color or queer folks. She names the unconscious bias in the room and opens the conversation for BIPOC folks to share how their therapeutic experience is impacted by seeing a white therapist. Dr. Guralnik’s BIPOC-identifying clients discuss how race and culture play into the relationship dynamics.
The show captures moments of high emotions, peak conflict, and various attachment style dynamics playing out in real time during sessions. Dr. Guralnik works to create a space where both partners can feel held and understood simultaneously, no matter the differences between their experiences or emotional expressions.
If this documentary sounds like one you would enjoy, you can check it out on Showtime!
**Disclaimer: While we enjoyed watching this documentary, we understand that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. We also want to highlight that while this documentary showcases mental health strategies that you can try on your own, our office still recommends that you speak directly with a mental healthcare provider when struggling within your relationships. If you would like to schedule an appointment with our couple’s therapist, you can do so here.