Psychotherapeutic practices in ‘Good Will Hunting’

 Manya Karnany

Psychotherapeutic practices in ‘Good Will Hunting’

‘Good Will Hunting’ is one the most popular and celebrated movies in Hollywood. The story revolves around a boy named Will Hunting who has a genius IQ but works as a janitor at MIT. He is discovered by an MIT professor who offers to guide Will so that he can reach his true potential. His only condition is that Will seeks intensive psychotherapy to resolve his mental issues; the consequence of which is his poor conduct. Will tries several therapists but ultimately agrees to work with Sean Maguire. The film depicts Will’s journey of self reflection where he breaks through the shackles of his past and sets himself free from the burden of guilt. While the ending of the movie is one of triumph (as Will overcomes his childhood trauma), the techniques used by Sean to counsel him are unorthodox to say the least. In this piece I will critically analyze his techniques to shed light on parameters such as boundaries and ethics in therapy. 

In the first few therapy sessions, Sean spoke to Will and tried to create a healthy bond between the two using cognitive behavioral therapy(Mayo Foundation, 2019). Sean uses the technique of self-disclosure and opens up to Will about his traumatic experiences in the past of losing his wife(Goldfried MR et al., 2003). He hoped that Will would do the same as he was establishing a sense of trust from his side. However, Will was still very reluctant to continue with therapy and address any of his issues. Instead, he used the information of the death of Sean’s wife to provoke him. In one such attempt, Will crossed Sean’s limits of tolerance. This instigated a reaction from Sean who physically threatened Will. In reality, this can be considered to be a clear breach of ethics in psychotherapy. Not only from Sean’s side for directing aggressive behavior towards his client but also Will for crossing the boundary of a therapist-client relationship and using personal information against him. This also elucidates the importance of boundaries in a therapeutic relationship. It is important to adhere to the boundaries set in order to avoid ethical violations(Hooley et al., Chapter 16, 2021). This would prevent the clients from believing that their relationship is beyond a professional one (like that of a dual relationship)( Behnke, 2004). However, in some cases, psychotherapy has endorsed healthy boundary crossing, keeping in mind the needs of the client in order to help them solve their issues(Lazarus,1994). After this altercation, Sean has a conversation with Will where he states that Will is just an inexperienced kid who is not familiar with the realities of the world. This makes him incapable of exploiting Sean and feel undeserving of respect. This can be viewed as a violation where the therapist is making the client feel inferior and rendering his opinions to be futile but in the context of this film, the incident was a way to re-establish the therapist-client boundaries. At the end of this interaction, Sean went on to describe psychotherapy in a way that made it more receptive for Will by saying that he wanted to know more about Will’s story and help him but this won't be possible if Will does not talk to him. This acted as a catalyst for Will to open up to Sean as it portrayed the humane and genuine side of him which Will could trust and relate to. Both of them slowly developed a healthy relationship as they understood each other and their past traumas, which other people could not relate to. Comfortable silences without being forced to talk and a steady growth of trust made Will believe that Sean provided him with a safe space to open up about his abusive past. Sean also used several techniques such as changing the location of the sessions in order to encourage Will to open up. In one of the most powerful scenes in the film, Sean went through Will's legal documents where he learnt about the physical assault Will had to endure at the hands of his foster father growing up. Sean tells Will about similar experiences he had with his father which formed a common link between the two(Ketokivi, 2009). He proceeded to repeat the line “it is not your fault” to Will who initially tries to avoid Sean but finally breaks down while hugging him. This cathartic release was due to the realization that he did not deserve the abuse he had faced. Sean also successfully made Will believe that he would not abandon and violate him like his foster father – who ideally should have adopted the role of a protector but became the perpetrator in his life. 

We can conclude that Sean’s counseling was impactful because, in the end, rather than running away from opportunities Will became open to pursuing them. He accepted a job offer and tried to pursue a relationship which he had earlier ended due to his abandonment issues. Overall, I believe that although the counseling practices in this film are unconventional and unethical in ways, therapy is a very subjective process where the therapist must identify the needs of the client and navigate his approach accordingly rather than sticking to a linear and rigid approach. 

References 

Goldfried MR, M. R., Burckell , L. A., & Eubanks-Carter, C. (2003, April 1). Therapist self-disclosure in cognitive-behavior therapy. Journal of clinical psychology. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12696131/ 

Hooley, J. M., Nock, M., & Butcher, J. N. (2021). Chapter 16. In Abnormal psychology (18th ed., pp. 579–580). essay, Pearson Education Limited. 

Ketokivi, K. (2009, June 19). Sharing the same fate. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14616690902764815?journalCode=reus20 

KOCH, G., & DOLLARHIDE, C. T. (2000). Using a Popular Film in Counselor Education: Good Will Hunting as a Teaching Tool. Counselor Education and Supervision, 39(3), 203–210. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6978.2000.tb01232.x 

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2019, March 16). Cognitive behavioral therapy. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610 

 Behnke, S. (2004, January). Ethics rounds--multiple relationships and APA's new Ethics Code: Values and Applications. Monitor on Psychology. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan04/ethics 

Lazarus A. A. (1994). How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness. Ethics & behavior, 4(3), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327019eb0403_10

Van Sant, G. (1997). Good Will Hunting. Miramax.