The Top 10 Best Movie Therapists

These Movie Therapists are Ready and Willing to Talk Trauma!

I’ve done plenty of Top 10 Lists over the years filled with characters who have all sorts of mental issues. Because of that, I figured it was about time to give a shout out to the movie therapists that spend their days trying to keep them all from going completely out of their minds. For the most part, psychiatrists in films tend to play small, secondary roles that protagonists use to voice their inner monologues for the sake of exposition. However, there are some big screen talk doctors that play much bigger parts in the films they’re in and that’s who I’m taking a look at today. Not all the movie therapists on this list will be the most effective or realistic portrayals of psychiatrists, but that’s because I decided to honor a few of the most iconic, interesting, and unusual ones as well. Besides, who am I to judge their methods? No, I’m here just to judge them as a whole. So, get ready to unpack your childhood trauma, because these movie therapists are ready to ask, “And how does that make you feel?”

10. Dr. Harleen Quinzel- The DCEU

I’m pretty sure that at this point Dr. Quinzel’s license has been revoked. Before she became one of the most popular villains/anti-heroes in the DCEU, she was a damned good shrink. You’d have to be in order to serve at the most infamous asylum of all time, Arkham. There she talked with the worst of the worst, helping them to get in touch with their emotions and give their inner child a voices to be heard. Those days are long past, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still using her training from time to time. She was actually pretty observant and gave some fairly insightful advice to her fellow Birds of Prey in her recent feature film. While I might not be scheduling an appointment with her anytime soon, she’s definitely the most unique of the movie therapists on this list. 

9. Dr. Sam Loomis- The Halloween Franchise

Look, I totally agree that movie therapists have an obligation to do everything they can to help their patients. However, some patients are beyond help and a danger to themselves and others. Normally, I’d say they belonged in an institution, but Michael Myers is an exceptional case. Dr. Loomis was one of the only people who knew the monster that Myers would grow into. He made it his duty to keep him locked away where he couldn’t hurt anyone. Then, one fateful Halloween, Michael escaped and got himself a very special mask. When that happened, Loomis did the only thing he could and set out to stop his former patient once and for all. Fortunately for horror fans, Dr. Loomis wasn’t able to put Michael down for good, and because of that, we have one of the longest-running horror franchises of all time.

8. Dr. Catherine Deane- The Cell

Talking to psychopaths is one thing, but going inside their minds is a whole other kind of “getting inside their heads.” Thanks to experimental technology, child psychiatrist, Dr. Deane, is attempting a new kind of therapy that allows her to enter the minds of her patients. Her hope is that she can help a young man who was left in a coma after getting a viral infection that causes an unusual form of schizophrenia. That gets put on hold when a serial killer, who trapped a young girl in a tank that’s slowly filling with water, succumbs to the same condition. With time being of the essence, Dr. Deane uses the technology to enter the killer’s mind. Inside, she discovers a surreal nightmare, but she pushes on no matter how disturbing it becomes in the hopes that she can save the girl before it’s too late. Dr. Deane is definitely one of the bravest movie therapists of all time.    

7. Dr. Ben Sobel- Analyze This and Analyse That

Unfortunately, movie therapists don’t get to choose their patients. If they could, Dr. Sobel would have stayed as far away as possible from Paul Vitti as possible. When the infamous New York mobster starts suffering from debilitating panic attacks, he comes to Dr. Sobel for help. Their doctor-patient relationship gets off to a rocky start once Dr. Sobel learns that Paul is a real-life mafia boss who has no problem making people “disappear.” Their initial attempt at therapy doesn’t go to well since Dr. Sobel is terrified that if he’s honest and upsets Paul then he’ll “disappear too.” The thing is that Paul isn’t going anywhere until he gets some help, so Dr. Sobel has to steady his nerves and get to the bottom of the gangster’s problems before it’s too late. Like a couple of the other movie therapists on this list, Dr. Sobel has a bit of an ego on him. Luckily it’s not big enough to actually get him killed.   

6. Dr. Leo Marvin- What About Bob?

Some movie therapists don’t always have the best intentions. Take, for example, Dr. Leo Marvin, who is an egotistical psychiatrist reeling over the power that came after publishing his bestselling book. He’s on top of the world until he meets the harbinger of his demise in the form of his new patient, Bob. You see, Bob is just an absolute mess. You name any kind of neurosis and he’s probably got it.   Pretty soon, Dr. Marvin’s spiraling out of control as Bob tests the very limits of his sanity. As much as Bob pushes Dr. Marvin’s buttons, it’s his own ego that is the true cause of his breakdown. Dr. Marvin simply can’t stand the idea that his patients aren’t beneath him, and that frustration and jealousy ends up nearly destroying him. It just goes to show that most of our problems really are caused by ourselves and not others.