Sex Education slams you hard straight immediately by directly confronting you with children's sex-related concerns without any warning or excuses. It is a British comedy-drama series on Netflix, that helps deal with issues high schoolers face navigating sex and sexuality at their age (Nunn, 2019). While some people may find it simpler to have sex, others may run against psychological, physical, or a mixture of the two types of barriers. Otis, the protagonist of Sex Education, doesn't have much practical experience with sex, but he knows a lot about it because his mother is a sex therapist. In order to help other teenagers at his high school, Otis and a classmate named Maeve establish an advice-giving enterprise using Otis' expertise in sex and sexuality that he has learnt through observation (Nunn, 2019). Instead of keeping it all inside or thinking that one must only resort to the internet for solutions, the show wants viewers to rip off the bandaid and have those uncomfortable, awkward conversations about sex. Simply said, it communicates sex education is education.
It may be claimed that, despite the show's excellent sex education content, one vital component—namely, the treatment of therapy—was lacking. When I viewed it for the first time, the first thing that bothered me was the way it seemed to imply that people's physical and mental health were entirely unrelated to sex and relationship therapy (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014). That's kind of ludicrous, and it kind of calls into question the main idea of what happens further in the show. As the series progresses, students from various socioeconomic backgrounds and origins resort to Otis for guidance regarding a range of intriguing topics surrounding sex and their bodies. Then, much like his mother Jean, a licenced sex and relationship therapist, does with her clients, Otis imparts his wisdom, and his peers walk away feeling instantaneously lighter and no longer burdened by their heavy problems (American Psychological Association, 2017). Relationship problems are the outcome of more fundamental problems, thus this is simply not how it works. It is a part of you and cannot be separated from the rest of your life. Relationship problems frequently occur when there is a broad sense of "mental ill-health" in a person. Especially those involving sex, frequently originate from something far more basic (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014). So, I think it's oversimplified to compartmentalise sex and relationships as just things that are mutually exclusive and to claim that everything else in your life is great except for the fact that you have a sexual issue. It is also troubling how Otis manages to handle the issues of his other pupils during a five-minute lunch break.
Additionally, it gives a rather misleading impression of speedy fixes through therapy ( Furlonger et al., 2015 & Robison & Ogles, 2008). This is not meant to imply that you must attend psychotherapy for an extended period of time. Resolutions typically occur quite quickly. It won't go away right away, though. To truly address the underlying causes of the relationship issues, you must be willing to analyse the issue properly (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014). I worry that people might have a false impression of therapy after watching it. My worry is that programmes like Sex Education will make viewers feel as though they are visiting a psychotherapist who may not necessarily have the right training or receive therapy from any random amateur person ( Furlonger et al., 2015). Otis' youth and lack of life experience aren’t the only concerning things, but so is the way his companion Maeve elevates him to the status of a professional therapist after only seeing his mother in action. One can infer from the show that therapy is as simple as having information about ways to resolve issues, without an understanding of the complicated nuances involved in the practice of psychotherapy, anyone may simply learn the abilities of a therapist and put them into practice (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014). That scares me since working with people's deepest unconscious emotions and experiences requires years and years of training, in-depth analysis, and profound introspection (American Psychological Association, 2017). Although it is difficult to portray treatment in an authentic and responsible manner in fast-paced narrative TV, it is possible to do so with a full understanding of the process and the relationship between the therapist and the client ( Furlonger et al., 2015 & Robison & Ogles, 2008).
Also, Otis’s mother, Jean Milburn, is a sex therapist who regularly queries Otis about things like, "I've observed you're pretending to masturbate. Would you like to talk about it?"(Nunn, 2019). She performs admirably as an actress, but her actions as a therapist are totally unethical and unacceptable in real life. Let's start with confidentiality because it is a fundamental quality that any therapist should have (American Psychological Association, 2017; Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014; Hooley et al., 2021 & Stubbe, 2018). Otis and his best friend, Eric are seen arguing in the first episode about the couple that came in for a session. If they were the ones who like to engage in sexual activity in animal outfits (Nunn, 2019). As a therapist, it is their duty to not talk to their family about the challenges or inclinations of their clients. In a flashback, Otis's father, Remi who is also a therapist by profession, is shown having sex with a patient in his waiting room. This is highly unethical behaviour and would result in your dismissal for taking advantage of a client's frailty (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014 & Hooley et al., 2021). She also wrote a book on Otis's sexual restraints, which was unethical on her side because, as a therapist, you should never write about a client without the client's consent, even if you use a false identity (Stubbe, 2018). When he attempts to approach her about this, she also refers to him as "hostile" (Nunn, 2019). Accepting someone's anger is very much a cornerstone of therapy, so you'd think a therapist—of all people—would have expected their son to be a little upset about having his insecurities made public (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014 & Hooley et al., 2021).
People sometimes have misconceptions about what a psychologist does, so when they see those depictions on television, it will make people more hesitant to seek out therapy ( Furlonger et al., 2015). I believe that movie writers and producers should work with professionals and recognise that the client or clientele is ultimately in command during therapy. The therapist's major responsibility is to assist them, listen to them, and ask them questions in order to delve further into the issues at hand and reflect those questions back to them (Stubbe, 2018). They are in complete charge of the process. Even if they can't genuinely observe a psychotherapist in action, they would be able to develop a far better grasp of it (Stubbe, 2018). It's critical to appropriately depict the power dynamics between the therapist and the client (Robison & Ogles, 2008). The most terrifying thought is that someone might dominate and control you (Stubbe, 2018). The terrifying scenario we are in is one of a lack of control (Gelso, Nutt & Fretz, 2014). The feeling that you can't improve your situation is among the most stressful and anxiety-inducing experiences (Hooley et al., 2021). Maybe every professional feels that they are inaccurately portrayed in media like television, fiction, movies, or pop culture in general.
References:
American Psychological Association (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
Furlonger, B. (2015). The Portrayal of Counselling on Television and YouTube: Implications for Professional Counsellors. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 25(2).
Gelso, C. J., Nutt Williams, E., & Fretz, B. R. (2014). Counseling psychology (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14378-000 (ISBN: 978-1-4338-1711-3)
Hooley, J. M., Nock, M., & Butcher, J. N. (2021). Abnormal psychology. Pearson Education Limited
Nunn, Laurie. Sex Education, Netflix, 11 Jan. 2019.
Robison, T. A., & Ogles, B. M. (2008). Effects of fictional portrayals of psychotherapy on expectations of treatment. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e528952008-001
Stubbe, D. E. (2018). The Therapeutic Alliance: The fundamental element of psychotherapy. FOCUS, 16(4), 402–403. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20180022
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