Psychotherapist with no security??

That is one point I sort of agree with. I thought psychotherapists had a button they push that calls security, not unlike a home alarm would. I would think that would almost be a requirement, I know I'd want one. I kept waiting for her to push a button under the desk.

Since she mentions she's in a government job (or something like that) it would seem more likely there would be more security but we don't know if, for example, he kept her in her office until everyone else went home. I did wonder how he taped her arms and legs and carried her around without anyone noticing but Milton is a small town so it's possible. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for about 15 years and on a few occasions he and I have been the only people in his office (shared with other psychs and therapists) but I see him privately and not because I was locked up for years after killing my mother... mom is still locked in the fruit cellar.

The thing I wondered about is that Dave, the coworker who went to Jerry's apartment to check on Alison, was apparently killed by some tripwire contraption but there's no sign of anything when Jerry returns with the doctor. Of course the police wouldn't be obviously waiting in front but you'd think they'd have been close enough to move in as soon as he got there, even before he got into his apartment.

Small quibbles, though, for such a good movie.










"I write Stargate fan fiction so I think I know what I'm talking about..."

not really unbelievable, i work in that field and many work without a recepcionist or security, in fact a lot start their practice in their own home, since sessions are 1 hour+long, its not really practical to hire someone full time to wait on people, there arent really walk ins, and the ones in crisis usually call, unless its a clinic of some sort.

patients arent really dangerous,the dangerous ones are institutionalized, they wont go to therapy out of their own volition, and they are treated inside prisons and hospitals, since their behavior makes them unable to do a simple thing like set up a meet and go to therapy, they are too far gone for that and they need to be stabilized and evaluated if they are candidates for therapy first..

most patients are really more a danger to themselves than others, there are ocassionally patients with violent outbursts who threaten or break things and patients who confuse therapy with a personal relationship and may want to call you up at improper time or for personal things (like texting you hey whats up?) or see you socially, but there are ways to handle such things that dont involve having a red button that goes straight to thepolice (ive never heard of such a thing installed actually)

In fact instead of patienets themselves i have been worried about husbands of women who want counseling because of divorce or violence (i know of one case who followed the wifes therapist into a parking lot and demanded she stopped polluting his wife)

The whole final third of the film was filled with logic holes that took this movie from a great movie to a movie where I have to totally shut my brain off to say I enjoy.

From the coworkers investigating Jerry themselves instead of involving the cops, to the lack of security/reception/associates at the therapists office, to the cops seemingly taking all day to get to his house.

It feels like this great movie went completely into lazy and contrived territory after Anna Kendrick dies. It was maddening.

Based on my experience, very few therapists actually have security of any sort. Clients and patients who are known to be violent are often institutionalized or are in residential treatment homes, so the ones who are out and about generally do not pose harm to the public, or to their therapists. I would point out that although this is a decent Hollywood portrayal of a therapist, there were a few things I wish the therapist would have asked Jerry about a bit more, such as the voices. She also probably should have contacted the Department of Corrections when he stated he does not always take his medication, especially if he has been court-ordered to do so.

A receptionist, maybe. Certainly not a guard, I've never seen that. But it depends entirely on who, what, where. Some psychiatrists see people from their own home office, it's not like every place is the same.

I think the problem is that Jerry was being treated as a much lower risk patient than he was. He killed his mom as a child, a psychotic mom who heard voices and told him to kill her. Given his youth and the fact that he hadn't killed anyone (that the state is aware of) since his childhood (which we're going to assume is a good 20-30 years since?) it's perfectly reasonable he would be downgraded to a low-risk, low-security facility where there wouldn't be intense security.

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Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame.

When I was getting my masters in clinical psychology, I interned at a government run outpatient facility for people with mental health issues, drug problems, and developmental delays. Many of them were court ordered to be there, but most came on their own accord. A good amount of people presented similarly to Jerry. They had schizophrenia, heard voices, saw things that weren't there, etc. There was no security whatsoever in any of the therapists' offices. The building was old and run down. There were no fancy buttons to push in case of an emergency. These facilities are run solely on the government-provided insurance that the clients use to attend the sessions. You can guess how far that money gets you...

It would be extremely unusual for someone that has been coming regularly to therapy to just snap one day with no indication whatsoever that it was going to occur. Of course, if you're not in the field, it seems like a scary, looming prospect.

How unbelievable