In Treatment

Paul: (talking about his lawyer) According to this guy, therapy is bullshit. He says people go into treatment hoping that the therapist is gonna fix them. But that therapists either don't solve people's problems. Or they make them worse.

Gina: Is that what you want to do, make people happy? Paul: Absolutely, I want to make people happy. What do you want to do, fuck them up even more?

Paul: (to Gina) You're scared of taking responsibility for your patients' lives. You don't actually want to get involved with them. I do. So you still cling to this dogma of letting them make their own decisions. But that, in my opinion, that's not professionalism. That's cowardice.

Gina: You tell me you're no help to your patients, but when you describe them, it's clear to me how carefully you listen. You have a great ear. You have a great sense of empathy. Paul: Then why am I failing them? Gina: It's not about you, Paul. You know, they're human beings. They're struggling with profound problems. If only you could find courage to sit with the fact that what we do is hard and sometimes, it makes you feel like an idiot. It's a humbling profession. And if you lack anything as a therapist, it's humility. Somehow you have to learn to tolerate the fact that we don't save people. We can't.

Paul: (about caring for his children) Sometimes I feel like I'm this great tree giant, powerful, and they're gonna live their whole lives beneath my shade. And then sometimes I feel... I feel like all my leaves have just fallen away... And I can't do anything for them... except... block the view.