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Characters On The Couch

How a psychologist thinks about your favorite Film & TV characters.

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How a psychologist thinks about your favorite Film & TV characters.

Welcome to Characters On The Couch, my Film & Television site, where I delve into character psychology and character development. If you’re a writer, actor, director, studio development team, or just plain interested in film, I bring you my insights into your favorite contemporary and classic characters. By doing so, my hope is to help you understand their deeper (and deepest) psychological motivations.

When you think about films that are truly iconic, what is it that gives them such limitless staying power? Is it the time of your life when you watched it? Could it be that one or more characters aligned with your own deepest struggles or painful experiences? Is it the costumes or images that seemed unforgettable? Or maybe, it’s simply that it pulled at your heart and caused you to explore emotions in a new, profound, and powerful way?

I say it’s all of it. And, equally, when these meaningful elements are missing, a story becomes, well, forgettable. This is the work that I do. I help artists transform their stories into magic by finding the human thread that ties into our universal experience so you strike the right chord with the audience.

Everything in life ties back to complex emotions and truly, only someone well versed in the language of feelings and psychology can bring your writing to the next level when you’re stuck on a character.

If you know your work is missing something that’s keeping it from taking you to the next step, here’s how I work with my clients.

Entertainment Consulting

Creating relatable characters is all about getting the subtext right. When you do, it reaches into the unconscious of your viewers and they feel it. If this happens, every character comes alive because you have the character psychology right!

“Like radio transmitters, one subconscious tunes to another …” (Robert McKee). My Entertainment Consulting can help you reach your goals.

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Psychology & Story

For more than 4o years as a psychoanalyst, I have listened to my patients tell their stories and I find words that speak to what is going on deep inside. This too is the heart of great character development. It’s in the character’s psychology.

Using movies and their characters, I can show you what “makes or breaks” a character’s story so you can apply that to your work.

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Everything Everywhere All At Once Breaking Out of Someone Else's Box

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
ALL AT ONCE
Breaking Out Of Someone Else’s Box

March 13, 2023 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
Read moreEVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
ALL AT ONCE
Breaking Out Of Someone Else’s Box
Nomadland: A Lonely Nomad in the Land of Loss

NOMADLAND
A Lonely Nomad in the Land of Loss

March 3, 2023 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
Read moreNOMADLAND
A Lonely Nomad in the Land of Loss
The Power of the Dog Why Phil Burbank’s Cruelty is About What He Hates in Himself

THE POWER OF THE DOG
Why Phil Burbank’s Cruelty
Is About What He Hates in Himself

December 7, 2021 by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
Read moreTHE POWER OF THE DOG
Why Phil Burbank’s Cruelty
Is About What He Hates in Himself
Read More Posts

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Inspiration

“We come to Film and TV to find our hidden stories. If we look deeply into a character’s psyche, there is much to see about ourselves.”

Recent Posts

Everything Everywhere All At Once Breaking Out of Someone Else's Box
Nomadland: A Lonely Nomad in the Land of Loss
The Power of the Dog Why Phil Burbank’s Cruelty is About What He Hates in Himself
SOUND OF METAL How Silence Stops A Man From Running

Copyright © 2023 · Sandra E. Cohen, Ph.D. · All Rights Reserved