Behind the Couch: How Counseling is Portrayed in Popular Television

Television portrayals of counselors are an increasingly popular subject for television series and have potential to influence the public’s perception of mental health treatment. The media representations can destigmatize mental healthcare by normalizing counseling as healthcare treatment, assisting in a cultural reframing of the profession or they can perpetuate existing harmful stigmas about counseling and treatment providers. Media representations influence help-seeking behaviors and treatment expectations in potential clients (Robison, 2013); Vogel et al., 2008), therefore the accurate portrayal of counselors is paramount (Otto, 2013). In this cultivation theory-centered (Gerbner & Gross, 1976) content analysis, ethical violations and positive skill use were examined in eight counseling-centered television shows portraying practitioners of varying identities, education levels, and in multiple settings, aired in the last five years to understand potential influences on potential client and counselor-in-training’s perceptions. Results of this study may highlight a pattern of more accurate media representation than previously observed. Implications for counselors, counselor educators, and strategies for advocacy are included.