Ep 2. April - Week One

In Treatment season 2 episode 2, titled “April - Week One,” follows the story of a successful interior designer named April, who seeks therapy from Dr. Brooke Taylor, a clinical psychologist. April is a single mother of two children and is struggling to cope with the negative feedback she received from a client regarding her work. She is dealing with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, as this has never happened to her before, and she always takes such feedback to heart.

The session starts with Dr. Brooke asking April how she feels about the negative feedback and how she has been handling it. April responds by saying that she has been feeling very down and vulnerable, and she doesn’t know how to move past it. She tells Dr. Brooke that she has been feeling like a failure and that her whole career is in jeopardy.

As the session progresses, Dr. Brooke probes into April’s past to understand where these feelings of insecurity might be coming from. April shares that she grew up in a family where her father was very critical of her, and she never felt like she was good enough. This upbringing has made her very emotionally guarded, and she finds it hard to trust and open up to anyone.

Dr. Brooke uses cognitive-behavioral therapy to help April identify and challenge her negative thoughts. She asks April to write down her negative thoughts and then come up with evidence that contradicts each thought. This exercise helps April realize that her negative thoughts are not based on reality and that she is, in fact, an accomplished and talented designer.

Through the course of the session, Dr. Brooke also helps April recognize that her feelings of inadequacy are triggering her to engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as binge eating and drinking. Dr. Brooke introduces mindfulness techniques to help April manage these impulses by teaching her to be present in the moment and observe how she is feeling and reacting.

Overall, the episode presents a powerful portrait of a woman grappling with professional setbacks and deep-seated emotional scars from her past. Dr. Brooke helps April confront and challenge these issues in a compassionate and effective manner, while also offering powerful insights into the nature of anxiety, stress, and negative self-talk.

“April - Week One” is a gripping and emotionally resonant episode of In Treatment that showcases the power of therapy to heal and transform even the most complex emotional struggles. It’s a must-watch for anyone interested in the human psyche and how we can learn to overcome our inner demons.