That’s the concept behind an upcoming workshop at the USC Counseling and Human Development Center where participants can relate personal issues to movies they’ve seen or that might be recommended to them for viewing.

“We’ll be examining the idea that we can look at life as a story that is ever-evolving and dynamic, and that film can situate us in another story that can be helpful in redefining our own life experience,” said Jason Young, who will lead the workshop, Reel Emotional Health, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 and 11.

“You can rewrite your own story or edit it using film as a place to do that,” said Young, a pre-doctoral psychology intern at the center. “I look at film as more than a place to escape. It also can be a place where we can actually learn about ourselves and ultimately be connected with others and drawn together.”

Young believes motion pictures can help demystify therapy and also can alleviate fear that some people might have about coming to a counseling session because others will think they’re “crazy.”

“To get around a film and talk about what’s in it can be helpful and integrating clients’ lives into a cinematic story feels less threatening,” Young said. “It can normalize people’s problems and also provide fuel for a discussion with friends or acquaintances that is a little less intimidating.”

Young plans to share video clips of films that have been important to him. Then in the second and third sessions of the workshop, he’ll ask clients to think about significant events in their lives and what films have been important to them, followed by discussion about connections between their lives and the movies they found meaningful.

One goal is to have people think about not so much their own individual lives, but how their experiences and their stories connect with others that have similar stories, said Young, who will draw on multiple sources for the workshop.

For those who want an introduction to the topic, Young suggests the book Rent Two Films and Let’s Talk in the Morning: Using Popular Movies in Psychotherapy, by John and Jan Hesley (Wiley).

Registration for the workshop is open to students and faculty and staff on a space available basis by calling 7-5223, e-mailing Trina Isaac at IsaacTR@gwm.sc.edu, or stopping by the center on the seventh floor of the Byrnes Building at College and Sumter streets.

The center’s Web site can be found at www.sa.sc.edu/chdc/chdchome.htm.

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