Cinema Therapy
Hosted by Cinema Therapy
A licensed therapist and a professional filmmaker analyze popular movies to find lessons on mental health and personal growth.
A video podcast where two hosts use movie clips as case studies for explaining psychological concepts. Each episode focuses on a specific film, character, or theme (like 'DreamWorks Villains' or 'Robin Williams' roles), with the therapist providing diagnoses and frameworks while the filmmaker offers a narrative perspective. The show blends educational content with the hosts' friendly, often humorous, chemistry.
“The show's unique strength is its dual-host format, pairing a credentialed therapist's clinical insights with a professional filmmaker's understanding of story and production. This combination allows for a multi-layered analysis that is both emotionally resonant and psychologically grounded.”
Who hosts this show
Cinema Therapy is hosted by Jonathan Decker, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Alan Seawright, an Emmy-winning filmmaker. Together, they break down blockbuster films, analyzing characters and plotlines through a psychological lens to make mental health concepts accessible and entertaining. They aim to find practical takeaways viewers can use to improve their own lives, all while keeping Alan from crying over the films.
Credentials & credits
- Jonathan Decker: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Jonathan Decker: M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy, Auburn University
- Jonathan Decker: B.S. in Clinical Psychology, Brigham Young University
- Jonathan Decker: Clinical Director of Mended Light
- Alan Seawright: Emmy-winning director and editor
- Alan Seawright: Professional filmmaker (commercials, TV, features)
Other ventures
- Jonathan Decker: Author of books including '250 Great Movies for Latter-day Families'
- Jonathan Decker: Mended Light (YouTube channel and online trauma clinic)
- Jonathan Decker: Your Family Expert (private practice and online courses)
- Alan Seawright: Director/Producer for various TV series and documentary features
- Cinema Therapy LIVE (touring stage show)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Therapist Reacts to TOY STORY 5 (no spoilers)Jun 23, 2026 · 32 min
- 02Therapist Diagnoses DREAMWORKS VillainsJun 16, 2026 · 29 min
- 03Robin Williams taught us how to be good peopleJun 12, 2026 · 30 min
- 04Is Lilly from THE PRINCESS DIARIES a Toxic Friend?Jun 9, 2026 · 28 min
- 05Therapist Reacts to TROLLSJun 2, 2026 · 30 min
- 06Therapist Reacts to HOPPERS at Pixar!May 26, 2026 · 32 min
- 07How terrible is this family? Family therapist takes on THE PARENT TRAPMay 22, 2026 · 28 min
- 08Villain Therapy: Lex Luthor from SUPERMANMay 19, 2026 · 29 min
Notable episodes
- 01Robin Williams taught us how to be good people
A heartfelt tribute that showcases the show's emotional depth and ability to connect beloved film roles to profound life lessons on mentorship, self-acceptance, and joy.
- 02Therapist Diagnoses DREAMWORKS Villains
This episode is a perfect example of the show's core format, applying real psychological diagnostic criteria (like NPD and OCPD) to iconic animated villains in an accessible way.
- 03Therapist Reacts to TOY STORY 5 (no spoilers)
Demonstrates the show's industry credibility by featuring an exclusive interview and reaction session with the director and co-director from Pixar.
What you'll be asked on this show
The format is a two-person conversation reacting to film clips. The hosts, Jonathan (the therapist) and Alan (the filmmaker), introduce themselves with their professional roles at the start of each episode. The style is educational but highly approachable, with frequent jokes, personal anecdotes, and Alan Seawright often becoming emotional during analyses, a recurring feature known as '#CryingWithAlan'.
Questions Cinema Therapy keeps coming back to
- “How would you help this person?”
- “What will your verse be?”
- “Which is more banana crazy pants to you, [Movie A] or [Movie B]?”
- “What are some of your favorite roles?”
- “What films or characters should we cover next?”
Signature segments
- · Host introductions: 'I'm a licensed therapist...' and 'I'm a professional filmmaker...'
- · The 'Therapist Diagnoses' segment
- · The hashtag and running bit '#CryingWithAlan'
- · The closing catchphrase: 'And... Watch movies.'
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically high-profile film industry professionals, such as directors, writers, or producers, who are brought on to discuss the specific movie they created. The episode on 'Toy Story 5' featured its director and co-director.
- Andrew Stantonon Therapist Reacts to TOY STORY 5 (no spoilers)
- Kenna Harrison Therapist Reacts to TOY STORY 5 (no spoilers)
- Nicole Grindleon Therapist Reacts to HOPPERS at Pixar!
- Daniel Chongon Therapist Reacts to HOPPERS at Pixar!
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors are primarily direct-to-consumer brands in the wellness, mental health, and tech spaces, including BetterHelp, Zocdoc, Helix Sleep, and Squarespace. The ideal sponsor targets a mainstream audience interested in self-improvement, health, and technology.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Cinema Therapy
People also ask
- What are the hosts' real names and professions?
- The hosts are Jonathan Decker, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and Alan Seawright, an Emmy-winning professional filmmaker.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a video podcast where the two hosts analyze movie clips to discuss mental health, psychology, and life lessons. They often focus on a specific movie, character, or theme in each episode.
- Is Cinema Therapy still active?
- Yes, the show releases new episodes on YouTube on a weekly basis.
- Where can I watch Cinema Therapy?
- Cinema Therapy is available on their official YouTube channel.
- How can I suggest a movie for them to cover?
- The hosts have stated that they check the YouTube comments for episode suggestions and requests.
- Do they do live shows?
- Yes, they have a touring live show called 'Cinema Therapy LIVE' and appear at fan conventions like FanX and Emerald City Comic Con.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Cinema Therapy Websitethecinematherapyshow.com
- [02]Jonathan Decker, LMFT - Biographymendedlight.com
- [03]Alan Seawright - Director Biographyalanseawright.com
- [04]Jonathan Decker - Author Profile on Goodreadsgoodreads.com
- [05]Alan Seawright - IMDb Profileimdb.com
- [06]Jonathan Decker - Reddit User Profilereddit.com
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