ABSTRACT
Film and video are technological media that have played a significant role in shaping and communicating ideas, values, and cultures since their invention. More recently, film- and video-making has been used to enact therapeutic change in a health context, including hospital patients. Written from the perspective of a psychologist working in a cancer hospital in western Canada, this chapter provides a case study highlighting the use of therapeutic filmmaking with a young mother coming to terms with her unexpected and terrifying diagnosis of breast cancer. The chapter provides an overview of the history of therapeutic film and video creation, the methods used in this particular case, and illustrates the kind of creative content that can arise in this therapeutic approach. Ideas for further reading are provided.
