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. Dr. Cohen has utilized watching films and mindfulness in his work.[3] Dr. 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.
Joshua L Cohen Ph.D. Dr. Joshua Lee Cohen is a Media Psychologist, a film/video editor, and Author/Co-Editor of the groundbreaking book Video and Filmmaking as Psychotherapy: Research and Practice . He is the founder and Owner of Your Digital Storytelling Project and Media Psychology Consultants P.C. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 2013 from Pacifica Graduate Institute. In 2007 He received a Master’s in Science in General Psychology from Walden University and a BA in Film and Anthropology from Colorado College in 1998 where he hosted a seminar on the use of film in therapy from Dr. Gary Solomon who was pioneering Cinematherapy™. Dr. Cohen trained as an editor as an intern at an ABC news affiliate and later at a training facility in Burbank California. Trained as an Avid and Final Cut Pro editor in Burbank, CA, he both consulted and worked on several high profile projects with filmmakers such as Patrick Swayze and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Doug Pray. In addition to his educational background, he was a university instructor since 2010 teaching introductory psychology and Positive Psychology. His clinical experience so far has been with dual diagnosis chemical-dependent populations as well as DCFS and families who were court-ordered and with addictions in inpatient settings. He has worked with several populations including community mental health, hospital settings, and private practice. He has worked with many different kinds of disorders within the DSM, most of which are suffering from trauma, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. Dr. Cohen has presented his dissertation research on film based therapy at many conventions, universities, and hospitals. Dr. Cohen is also currently on staff at the Kolnoam video therapy school in Israel and he is based in Long Beach, CA