Essay Example on Big Little Lies: Therapy & Mental Health in an Upscale California Town

Introduction

"Big Little Lies" show is about an upper-middle classed family in California attempting to resolve a current murder in their society. The show features the mental condition that affects a significant number of people caused by distressing of very stressful events or frightening moment in somebody's life. The show indicates why women often do not want to report abuse from their husbands.

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Therapy

Dr. Reisman is a residential therapist in the "Big Little Lies" that centers around five women entangled in a murder case. Season 1 depicted a responsible psychologist's technique while dealing with a domestic violence victim, which represented a genuine doctor-client relationship. However, season 2 has portrayed a different picture of Dr. Reisman and her client Celeste that does not show an accurate representation of ethical practices pf a therapist. While giving treatment, it is essential for a therapist to check internally, whether over caring about a client might affect adherence to ethical issues and maintain objectivity. It is necessary to maintain boundaries, remain focused while treating patients post-traumatic stress disorder for the case of Celeste, and avoid reiterating abuses reputedly.

Celeste displays addictive nature evidently; while she daydreams about the intimate moments, she had with her husband regardless of the violence that her husband Perry caused. Dr. Reisman identifies the presence of psychosis; however, she does not respect that Celeste I not yet aware about it, losing the empathetic and direct technique, she displayed to her client in season 1. Additionally, Dr. Bo Peep, a child therapist appears as little Bo Peep to treat Amabella concerning a panic attack she had at school during a discussion about "Charlotte's Web." When a therapist shows with a cartoon character, it can degrade the efficiency of the psychologist and infantilize the therapist since the child will tend to bond with a Little Bo Peep as opposed to a real individual; hence a contrasting the success of play therapy (Reppucci & Saunders, 2017).

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Her husband Perry abused Celeste at a school fundraiser in front of other parents. Season two of the show indicates Celeste fighting her guilt and self-blame and her invasive thoughts and memories that are indicative symptoms of PTSD (Roberts et.al, 2015). Moreover, Bonnie Carlson who gave the final blow during the day when Perry was murdered. She appeared numb and hurriedly withdrew from friends and family. In episode 2 of season 2 "Tell-Tale Hearts," Celeste shows emotional disorder when she shouts to her children Max and Josh. Her guttural cries towards Josh were entirely astonishing and achingly that is common among individuals with PTSD. Often Post-traumatic Stress Disorder generates strong emotional and physical reactions. Celeste son's violent behavior indicates his suffering from trauma leading to out of control reactions. PTSD is humiliating and isolating, which can quickly be escalated when the situation is not understood.

Bonnie deals with a whole situation of PTSD after killing a man and lying to the detectives during interrogation sessions. Bonnie delivered a final blow on the night that Perry died; she seemed traumatized and withdrew from both family and friends. Although many individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder never engage in violence, it might indicate an increase in the risk and Jane is showing worrying behavior where she wakes finding herself next to Ziggy with a gun on her hands. Presence of guns at homes is likely to increase the chances of accidental homicides and suicides. Jane is constantly develops a reckless behavior with her gun, she drives to San Luis in search of an interior designer to confirm whether he raped her and she was holding her gun beside her during the trip.

Domestic Violence

"Big Little Lies" deals with women trauma throughout the first season. Celeste comes into terms with her husband, who has often been abusing her. Celeste uses volatile to describe her marriage relationship, but a more accurate label for the association is abusive. Perry sometimes treated her decently, but he was more possessive and controlling, often quick on aggression, slapping and throwing objects on the wall. During Parry and Celeste first therapy session, they are both uncomfortable and uses plural to express their issues while Celeste repetitively looks at Perry for his approval. They express having a lot of hanger, fighting a lot, screaming and require help in controlling. Domestic violence entails maintaining the control and power over a partner (Pearlman et.al, 2016). Domestic violence is still a main problem in our culture since the society fails to place the blame where it is due. The society considers that a victim must have done something to escalate their reactions that cause abuse.

Conclusion

The main characters of the "Big little Lies" show symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder after enduring a rape and domestic violence. While giving treatment, it is essential for a therapist to check internally, whether over caring about a client might affect adherence to ethical issues and maintain objectivity. The common symptom displayed include flashbacks, undesirable instants with their partners, which are distinctive signs of PTSD. Celeste uses volatile to describe her marriage relationship, but a more accurate label for the association is abusive.

References

Pearlman, D. N., Zierler, S., Gjelsvik, A., & Verhoek-Oftedahl, W. (2016). Neighborhood environment, racial position, and risk of police-reported domestic violence: a contextual analysis. Public health reports. https://doi.org/10.1093/phr/118.1.44

Reppucci, N. D., & Saunders, J. T. (2017). Social psychology of behavior modification: Problems of implementation in natural settings. In Behavior Therapy with Children (pp. 51-69). Routledge.

Roberts, N. P., Roberts, P. A., Jones, N., & Bisson, J. I. (2015). Psychological interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid substance use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 38, 25-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.02.007