A fiilm by Ed Wierzbicki

HEALING POWERS documents the unique creative and therapeutic work of Dr. Julian Ford and a gifted group of young actors who work collaboratively with a team of clinicians to help advance psychotherapy training across the U.S.

Dr. Ford, a psychotherapist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center, treats adolescents dealing with complex trauma. In an attempt to learn from the nation's best psychotherapists, he’s brought together a collaborative team of actors, therapists, educators, and filmmakers who’ve created a project called “Critical Moments” — a series of filmed therapy sessions that re-imagine crisis moments in trauma treatment of kids and teens.

In an attempt to de-mystify psychotherapy, while allowing working therapists to witness other leading therapists in action—in what is universally a highly confidential environment— Critical Moments asks gifted young actors to step into the shoes of actual clients, using improvisational acting methods to plunge bravely into real therapy sessions. Based on real trauma cases, the actors square off with real therapists, guided by a rehearsal method developed by a company of theatre and film educators. The sessions are then captured by an Emmy winning film team.

Dr. Ford hand picks each case, and the sessions revolve around trauma resulting from gun violence, migration and immigration separation, sexual abuse, substance abuse, familial and neighborhood violence, and many other societal and peer challenges. As the need for more mental health professionals grows, these powerful “filmed” therapy sessions are being used to expand the skillset of the mental health community nationwide; including a leading webinar training series hosted by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network based at Duke University