Cinema Sessions
Welcome to Cinema Sessions! This is a podcast where film fanatics, who happen to also be therapists, geek about their favorite films, sharing therapeutic insights, character deep dives, and a healthy portion of non-clinical nonsense! Cinema Sessions is the podcast intersection between movies and mental health. New episodes are released every other Tuesday!
Episodes
47 episodes
Inside Out 2: Navigating Anxiety, Envy, Restoring Joy, and Other Chaotic Emotions!
On this episode, Rick and Kailah return to talk about a movie tailor made for therapy discussions: Inside Out 2! They talk about the incredible success of the movie before diving into the therapeutic themes of Anxiety, Envy, and Restoring Joy. ...
•
Season 4
•
1:12:37
Some Show Updates: Kailah's a Mom! And some Season 4 Talk
Hey everyone, if you missed the end of the Dirty Dancing episode, we announced that we'd be wrapping up Season 3 and taking a break. Rick wanted to share a couple of show updates with you so you'd be in the loop on what to expect going forward....
•
4:05
40. Dirty Dancing: Navigating Young Womanhood, Adult Desires and Decisions, and Choosing Your Movie Dance Partner!
On this episode, Rick and Kailah put on their dancing shoes to explore the 1987 classic, Dirty Dancing. They dive into some of the unique stories about the making of the movie and about the careers of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Then they...
•
Season 3
•
1:13:33
39. A Walk To Remember: Codependent Dating, Terminal Illness, Anticipatory Grief, and Romantic Telescopes!!
On today's episode, Rick and Kailah dive into the amazingly sappy nostalgia of the 2002 romantic teen drama, A Walk To Remember. They talk about bucket lists, telescopes, and the AMAZING soundtrack before exploring the therapeutic themes that i...
•
Season 3
•
1:05:59
38. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation: Holiday Stress, Creating the 'Perfect' Christmas, and Fake Turtleneck Fashion!
On this episode, Rick is joined by Michael Davis to break down the 1989 Christmas comedy, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Enjoy some nostalgia and laughter as they reflect on their favorite iconic images from the movie and explore their o...
•
Season 3
•
1:12:02
37. Spotlight: Investigating Religious Organizational Dysfunction, Abuse of Power, Helping Spiritual Leaders, and Nostalgia for Newspapers!
On this episode, Rick and Kailah dive into the 2015 Oscar winning movie, Spotlight that’s based on a true story of the Boston Globes investigative efforts in uncovering the abuse and cover up in the Catholic Church. They dive into the movies th...
•
Season 3
•
1:12:02
36. Step Brothers: Failure to Launch, Codependency, Funniest Scene Draft, and Best Will Ferrell Character to be Roomates With!
If laughter is the best medicine, then you are sure to get some therapeutic relief as we dive into the 2008 comedy, Step Brothers! Rick and Kailah share laughs as they draft their favorite funny scenes. Then they dive into the therapeutic theme...
•
Season 3
•
1:04:04
35. Overcoming Fears in Film: Nightmare on Elmstreet (Sleep), The Walk (Heights), The Abyss (Claustrophobia), and SO MUCH MORE!
It’s spoooooky season, so Rick and Kailah decided to take a look at some common fears that come up in film and examine how to potentially overcome them. They share both personal and professional insights while having lots of fun examine what ma...
•
Season 3
•
1:14:11
34. A Man Called Otto: Exploring the Uniqueness of Grief, Loneliness, Suicidal Ideation, and Why We Like Sad Movies!
On this episode, Rick overcomes his loneliness and flies solo to tackle the recent Tom Hanks hit movie, A Man Called Otto (2023). This is a heavy movie with therapeutic themes such as grieving the death of a spouse, factors that make grief uniq...
•
Season 3
•
1:01:40
33. Barbie: Exploring Feminism, Gender Roles, Body Image, and Being “Kenough”!
We hope you are wearing Pink because Kailah and Rick are diving into the 2023 pop culture phenomenon, Barbie. They explore themes of gender roles, feminism, body image, and have an important conversation about some of the struggles women have i...
•
Season 3
•
1:18:50
32. The Lion King: Childhood Narratives, The ‘Hakuna Matata’ Lifestyle, and Favorite Animated Villains!
We hope you are feeling nostalgic because we are diving into the 1994 animated classic, The Lion King. Rick and Kailah are joined by special guest host Susan Herbeck, LMSW. She brings her insight helping kids, teens, and young adults through an...
•
Season 3
•
1:00:18
31. Movie Draft! Characters That Would Make The Best Therapists
It’s time to draft! Kailah and Rick are joined by Michael Davis to draft the movie characters they think would make the best therapists. The primary rule is that all characters CANNOT be a therapist in their movie. This might be the most fun an...
•
Season 3
•
1:14:22
Rick's Top Ten Guilty Pleasure Movies (Bonus Summer Session)
On this episode, Rick goes solo to share joy and comfort with the world as he goes over his favorite guilty pleasure movies. Spoiler alert: Lots of 90's nostalgia! What movies do you feel guilty, yet unashamed for loving? Make sure to share you...
•
34:58
Top Ten Favorite Films (Bonus Summer Session)
On this episode, Rick and Kailah make a valiant effort to list out their top ten favorite movies of all time. They make predictions about each others lists and examine what their lists say about each other. If you love movie talk, or just want ...
•
1:03:58
Happy 4th of July - No Episode Today
Happy July 4th! We hope you celebrate with the same vigor as Bill Pullman did in the movie Independence Day...If you didn't catch the end of the Fight Club episode, we announced that we are taking a break for the summer and that Season ...
•
1:58
30. Fight Club: Exploring Masculinity, Rage, Risk Taking, and a Case Study of Tyler Durden!
On this episode, Michael Davis makes his triumphant return as guest host to help Kailah and Rick break down the 1999 film, Fight Club featuring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Meatloaf (Rick’s personal favorite actor and musician). They break all...
•
Season 2
•
1:08:10
29. The Greatest Showman: Exploitation, Overcoming Shame, and SO MUCH MUSIC!!!
On this episode Rick and Kailah dive into the 2017 musical smash hit, The Greatest Showman featuring Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. Before diving into the film, we took time to discuss the real life exploitations of P.T. Barnum and wrestle wi...
•
Season 2
•
1:03:17
28. Teenage Insecurities in Nostalgic Movies: Perks of Being a Wallflower, Teen Wolf, Can’t Hardly Wait, and More!
Teenagers wrestle with SO many insecurities. What would it look like if we could jump in a DeLorean and travel back in time to talk with our teenage selves? On this special episode, Kailah and Rick take a nostalgic look back at som...
•
Season 2
•
1:19:37
27. Tully (2018): Parenting Exhaustion, Postpartum Depression, Hiring a 'Night Nanny', and Supporting Other Movie Moms!
On this episode Rick and Kailah are joined by special guest host, Staci Belanger, LMSW. Staci brings her specialty in parenting, pregnancy, and infant mental health as we dive into the 2018 film, 'Tully' starring Charlize Theron. We talk about ...
•
Season 2
•
1:12:13
26. Looking at the Human Elements of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’: Fear & Anger, Patience, Leia’s Femininity, Finding Our 'Dagobah', and Yoda as a Therapist?
On this episode, Rick and Kailah dive into the human behavior elements of the legendary 1980 science fiction blockbuster, The Empire Strikes Back. What are the emotions and behaviors that determine the pathway someone takes to the light s...
•
Season 2
•
1:01:37
25. Characters with Bad Boundaries: ‘What About Bob’, Ferris Bueller, Elsa's 'Ice'olation, and What If Robert Pattinson Starred in Commando
On this episode Rick and Kailah explore film characters who have boundary issues. We take a deep dive into the crazy world of What About Bob and explore Bob's lack of boundaries and if Dr. Marvin is actually good at his job. We also discuss cha...
•
Season 2
•
1:03:07
24. Guardians of the Galaxy: Character Case Studies of Each Guardian, Childhood Trauma, Connecting through Tragedy & Loss, and a MAJOR Announcement
On this episode we go on a cosmic journey with the 2014 surprise smash hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. We talk about where this movie ranks amongst MCU films. We do character deep dives into each of the Guardians and discuss how each of their per...
•
Season 2
•
1:07:51
23. Everything Everywhere All At Once: Multiverse “What If’s”, Healing Family Relationships, Emotional Strength, and Therapeutic Bagels!
On this episode we take a therapeutic deep dive into the 2023 Best Picture winner, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. If you haven't watched this film yet, this episode will likely make you change your mind! And if you have watched it...buckl...
•
Season 2
•
1:08:08
22. Good Will Hunting: Motivation to Change, Therapist Vulnerability, and Major Speaking Blunders for Rick
Join us as we dive into the classic film, Good Will Hunting. We discussed the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and the impact of Robin Williams life and death. Plus we dive into Damon and Williams characters and talk about what motivates ...
•
Season 2
•
1:05:24
21. Characters in Complex Romantic Relationships: Jerry Maguire, Twilight, and Get Out
On this episode, we have fun examining some of our favorite complex romantic relationships from Get Out, Twilight, and Jerry Maguire. Is being hypnotized by your future mother-in-law a deal breaker? Should you be concerned if your sparkling boy...
•
Season 2
•
1:03:33