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© 2002-2010 Birgit Wolz
Oakland, CA, USA
Page last updated August , 2010

Useful links

Cinema therapy sites:

An educational cinema therapy site: by Lawrence E. Tyson, Ph.D., Linda H. Foster, Ed.S., NCC, LPC,, and Cindy Jones of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. An extensive site complete with pages on theory, application, suggested readinngs and links.

The Movie Therapist UK therapist Bernie Wooder's is pioneering the use of ‘movie therapy’ in Britain.

Reel to Real is Michael Kahn's approach to Cinema Therapy.

Creativityandconflict.com introduces Cinematherapy Coaching.

Gary Solomon suggests movies for their therapeutic value on cinema-therapy.com.

Academic articles and dissertations:

James F. Knickerbocker wrote a dissertation with the title Toward Improving the Film Selection Process in Cinematherapy. The text of this dissertation can be found here, the corresponding PPT presentation here, the oral dissertation presentation here, and the handout that goes with my dissertation presentation here.

Michael Fleming and Ericka Bohnel published the article Use of Feature Film as Part of Psychological Assessment in APA's journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (Vol 40(6), Dec 2009, 641-647). The article describes the possible benefits of a clinical assessment technique that uses patients’ choices of feature film during the initial inpatient psychological mental status exam.

Cinema Therapy With Children and their Families was presented by Michelle L. Byrd, Bill Forisha, and Cathlene Ramsdell at the Minnesota Association of Children’s Mental Health Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference. Their study seeks to demonstrate that Cinetherapy for children provides an opportunity to utilize thematic material that is of personal concern to many child clients.

Doing Cinematherapy for the BBC: A Hollywood Tale by Stuart Fischoff, California State University, Los Angeles (Fall/Winter 2004 issue of The Amplifier, the official newsletter of APA Division 46, Media Psychology)

Group cinematherapy: Using methaphor to enhance adolescent self-esteem by Michael Lee Powell, Rebecca A. Newgent and Sang Min Lee (The Arts in Psdychotherapy 33, 2006, 247-253)

The Life Stories of Children and Adolescents: Using Commercial Films as Teaching Aids by
Adrian Sondheimer (Academic Psychiatry; 2000:214–224)

Psychologists’ Use of Motion Pictures in Clinical Practice by Georgios K. Lampropoulos, Ball State University; Nikolaos Kazantzis, Massey University and Waitemata District Health Board, Cognitive Therapy Center; Frank P. Deane, University of Wollongong (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 2004, by the American Psychological Association, 2004, Vol. 35, No. 5, 535–541)

Psychotherapy and Movies: On Using Films in Clinical Practice by Stefan E. Schulenberg (Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy; Spring 2003, 1; ProQuest Psychology Journals, 36-48)

The Use of Popular Film in Psychotherapy - is there a "Cinermatherapy" by Mattew A. Portadin (dissertation at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, 2006)

Utilizing movies in family therapy: Applications for individuals, couples, and families by S. B. Dermer and J. B. Hutchings (The American Journal of Family Therapy, 28, 2000, 163-180)

Film guides:

Psychocinema: a film guide based on psychological issues from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Psychflix.com provides useful listings and reviews of films that portray psychiatric themes.

Ruth Levine, MD, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, lists films by Axis I and Axis II disorder types.

Teach With Movies: site devoted to helping parents and teachers use films for teaching. Includes film indexes by subject and by character traits.