Bonaduce, et al.

Our fair Betsy mentioned the VH1 Bonaduce show to me the other day, and at the time I had only read a few articles about it and seen some commercials. I had also heard Bonaduce on Howard Stern talking about the show. Through all of that, I had a pretty good idea what the show was about...after all, the press and his interviews are not hiding his substance abuse, suicide attempt, out-of-control behavior, etc. Not only are they not hiding it, they are publicizing it.

That said, they don't seem to be exploiting him or his wife. Heck, they are the executive producers. So it is what it is. If they want to exploit themselves, I guess I can't blame VH1. The story goes that VH1 tried to pull out when things got dangerous, so I think they are in the clear (mostly) on this.

Anyway, I saw an episode tonight, and obviously, we're talking about one messed up dude who is in tremendous, tremendous pain. Pretty much unquantifiable pain. And it's on TV. I think I mentioned on Betsy's blog that I tend to root for the guy. I think he means well. I think he cares. I think he's smart and entertaining. He's also as troubled as a person can get, and I have sympathy/empathy for his pathology, of which there is plenty.

My comment (read: problem) is geared towards the publicity of the therapy itself. I'm sure...sure...that the psychologist on the show completely cleared himself legally of all liability. Bonaduce obviously consented to the intrusive break of confidentialtiy. Heck, he sold this idea. So I don't think the therapist did anything wrong legally.

But I don't like it ethically. Therapy is private for a reason. Therapy is complicated and intimate. Therapy chopped up for television is confusing and misleading. The guy could be the best therapist in the world and edit the show himself, and it still would look and feel wrong. I don't like the message it sends to the folks out there that still hold a stigma/prejudice against therapy.

Therapy involves complicated, intricate bits of technique. But make no mistake, it also in involves lots of corny sounding bits like "How does that make you feel?" Any therapist in the world would sound like an idiot if the session were chopped up. Therapy has a flow from session to session, from beginning to end, and before and after. It just can't be captured adequately as a fraction of a 30-minute realitiy show. I think it makes therapy look trivial, biased, corny, ineffective, and like a side-show.

That said, maybe I'm defensive about this. It's likely, even.

But I had the same feeling watching Metallica's movie. I totally knew what the guy was doing, and couldn't blame him for what he did. But it looked stupid to be counseling those bozos in therapy. And that's the point: if I were in his shoes, they aren't bozos. They're just dudes that need help.

Therapy...and the need for therapy...knows no income stratus or type of person. People find pain sometimes, and pain can find people. People need help to find their way out of it. Doesn't matter who you are.

And if Danny Bonaduce can find salvation (what he wants) and health (the minimum I can hope for) on TV, then good for him.

But what about the person on the verge of making his or her first appointment?