Library Resources Blog Posts: Spotlight on

Spotlight on: Kanopy's video content on Psychology, Counselling, and Therapies (by Min Allen)

Kanopy is a video streaming platform that provides access to thousands of films, TV shows and more, covering a wide range of subjects, both academic and popular. The content relating to psychology, therapies and counselling includes documentaries and teaching and training material. Video providers include: Psychotherapy.net; American Psychological Association (APA); and Lambent Productions (RTS student television award winner 2016). 

Citation: Lambent Productions (Director). (2017). Secrets of the Brain [Video file]. A Tall Order. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from Kanopy.

Season 1 (10 episodes): Memory; Faces; Phantom Limb; Seeing is Believing; Time; Pain & Fear; Creativity; Sleep; Language.

Citation: Lambent Productions (Director). (2017). Secrets of the Brain [Video file]. A Tall Order. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from Kanopy.

Season 2 (10 episodes): Lying; Risk; Plasticity; Hypnosis; Genius; Cyborg; Music; Empathy; Gut; Twins.

Other providers include Psychotherapy.net, whose collection focuses on learning by watching: “Our videos are different—we show the most talented therapists in session, discussing the nuances of their work, and teaching you how to be better.” 

Citation: (2012). Cognitive Therapy for Obsessions [Video file]. Psychotherapy.net. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from Kanopy.

The collection covers a wide range of issues, and therapeutic approaches taken, from Carl Rogers on Person-Centred Therapy to  Irvin Yalom: Live Case Consultation, in which therapists present cases to Yalom. Bessel van der Kolk on Understanding Trauma features the author of ‘The Body Keeps the Score,' a set text at Roehampton. You can explore more in the Famous Therapists collection,  and in the selection at Psychotherapy training, such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) or Somatic Theory.

The American Psychological Association (APA) Psychotherapy Video Series of ten films includes  Qualities and Actions for Effective Therapists (2011), with Bruce E. Wampold on conducting sessions for better outcomes; and 2015's Presence in Psychotherapy with Dr Shari Geller on ‘being in the moment’ and deep listening in a therapeutic relationship.

NOTE: Please observe the disclaimer accompanying APA videos - use is for strictly educational and training purposes.

Kanopy’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collection also has some interesting content relating to psychology and psychotherapy, such as Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the Arts (2015), and Read Me Differently: A Family’s Journey with Dyslexia, ADHD and Learning Differences by Sarah Entine, 2011.

PBS' video Decolonizing Mental Health, directed  by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, aims to dismantle the racist bias that underscores the mental healthcare industry. By focusing their gaze on the transformative work of therapists and individuals of colour, the film’s makers advocate for “a redressal of the ways in which we define psychiatric illness and health.”

Kanopy's content is frequently updated; the latest additions can be seen under the NEW on Kanopy link. There is also material relating to our relationships with our non-human companions, such as M. Salleh's 2020 documentary We Don't Deserve Dogs,  all about people’s need for dogs, or 2022's  Super Senses on dogs' minds and how they ‘see’ the world.

Citation: Salleh, M. (Director). (2020). We Don't Deserve Dogs [Video file]. Filmhub, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from Kanopy.

There is plenty for students, teachers and researchers in the field of psychology, counselling and therapies, and other related disciplines such as nursing, to explore on Kanopy. Definitely "one to watch!".