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This article was published on September 26, 2019, afterCouple Therapys first season.
Every season features new participants, but the process of casting the show has remained fundamentally the same.
Doing so also raises a briar patch of thorny ethical concerns.
But the shows mission, as envisioned by co-producers Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, is exactly that.
And unlike Esther Perels popular podcast,Where Should We Begin?
OnCouples Therapy, they show up for multiple sessions, episode after episode.
Rather than paying to get therapy, the docuseries paid participants to receive it.
It can also make for very compelling television.
The reality of their relationship was way more complicated than it appeared in the public, Steinberg said.
How do you record the process without interfering?
One key was persuading Orna Guralnik, the shows therapist, to sign on to the project.
But it took a long time to convince Guralnik to actually appear on camera.
They had to earn my trust, Guralnik recalled.
Are they going to make a run at make this into something that it is not?
Is there going to be a wish for more drama?
They also needed to screen out individuals who might be harmed by the process of making the show.
We didnt want to take people who were vulnerable and this could unravel them.
(She answers a lot of these types of internet questionnaires, DeSean said.
10 Facts Will Reveal How Much Youre In Love With Each Other, stuff like that.)
They didnt think theyd be chosen, but when producers asked them to participate, it was a no-brainer.
We were in a space where it was a do-or-die situation for our relationship, Elaine said.
The other key toCouples Therapyis the space where the sessions take place.
We created an office where the cameras actually were concealed behind one-way glass, Kriegman said.
It really made you feel like you were in Dr. Ornas office.
That allowed us to forget that we were being filmed.
It doesnt occur to you because theres not a camera in your face, Elaine said.
But it was more a concern for us than for them.
(Several participants lean over to pet her before sitting down on the sofa across from Guralniks chair.)
Nico is a deeply soothing presence, reminding people of a baseline of safety and goodness, Guralnik said.
I have seen very tense and guarded people reveal sweet and playful sides in response to her.
For the filmmakers, for Guralnik, and for Elaine and DeSean,Couples Therapyis an experiment that worked.
The parallel between therapy and filmmaking is really fascinating.
You gather the raw material, and then you sift through it to find the story that is thetruestory.
It was surprising how similar that was to the editing process, Kriegman said.
Im painted by my own stuff.
The latter, DeSean said.
I think Dr. Orna saved our lives, our marriage.
