Before Therapy – What Linklater’s  Before  Trilogy Teaches Us About Love, Process & Presence

Episode Title: Before Therapy – What Linklater’s Before Trilogy Teaches Us About Love, Process & PresenceMedia LinksWebsite: delvepsych.comInstagram: @delvepsychchicagoYouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20Substack: delvepsych.substack.comParticipantsHosts: Ali McGarel, Adam FominayaGuest: Colleen Paul, LCPC — staff therapist & certified clinical trauma professionalOverview of Big Ideas• Why the Before trilogy still resonates: raw, real-time conversation and authentic tension beat Hollywood fairy‑tales every time.• Creative roots & counseling: acting, film study, and improv sharpen attunement to subtext, empathy, and rule‑breaking therapy.• “Happiness is in the doing”: the hosts unpack Jesse’s line to explore process‑over‑outcome living with clients.• Opening & closing pain: therapy as practice for tolerating discomfort while staying engaged in life’s story.• Finding your “why”: Nietzsche’s maxim—“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”—anchors change work.Breakdown of Segments• Welcome & clinic update – Delve’s services and low‑cost therapy options.• Film geek meet‑cute – how Ali’s partner and Colleen’s film degree sparked the topic.• Slice‑of‑life cinema – long takes, ambient eavesdropping, and why dialog‑driven films feel therapeutic.• Real love vs. rom‑com myths – quirks that charm early on often trigger later conflict.• Therapists’ thought experiment – what advice would they give Jesse or Céline between films?• Process, purpose & disappointment – coaching clients who chase creative dreams through rejection.• Quotes on the whiteboard – “Everything was fine … until you hit me with reality” and the value of confronting truth.• Closing & how to connect with Delve therapists.References & Further Listening/Reading Richard Linklater (dir.). Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), Before Midnight (2013). Friedrich Nietzsche. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Buddhist aphorism on seeing the world “as it is.” Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) literature on values‑led action.Enjoy the episode, and let us know what conversations the films spark for you!