I re-watched the therapy scenes and Iâm gonna say it, Bucky has a bad therapist. I know the big issue of this show is race, but Iâm very white and uncomfortable weighing in with more than a few surface-level comments. However, I have experience with therapy, and so Iâm going to speak on that, as it needs to be discussed. I know itâs entertaining to watch in the show, but practically Dr. Raynor exhibits several red flags and doesnât seem to be doing much for Bucky other than keep an eye on him.
Sheâs incredibly sarcastic and pushy, much too much for it to be acceptable - as demonstrated by later points
Buckyâs amend making doesnât do a thing. He repeats from a script and doesnât go over it at all in sessions other than to say he did it, followed the rules, and everythingâs the same - because apparently the amends are supposed to magically make his nightmares go away without any other work (e.g. Buckyâs friendship with Yori seems to be of his own volition and much more productive in facing and accepting the things heâs done vs that congresswoman scene)
She takes his phone to see who he has been contacting instead of just asking him - sheâs not trying to build rapport and trust with him, and just wants the facts, even in a situation where invasive oversight isnât needed. (Heck, most therapists will only take your word about self-harm, and not even try to prove youâve actually stopped when you say you have because thatâs such an invasion of trust and privacy, so being that invasive that over something more trivial isâŠworrying)
She actively shames Bucky: âIâm the only person youâve called this week, that is so sadâ - gigantic, never do this for anyone itâs so damaging, no seriously, red flag
Itâs obvious that Bucky gets defensive and sarcastic when he doesnât want to talk about things with her, and instead of trying to get through to him she takes the bait and snarks right back at him, meaning that no productive conversation is had. I can say from experience that if someone lets you deflect, you wonât stop. But if they make it hard for you to do so by dodging distractions and not reacting to provocative comments, eventually something will give. Dr. Raynor makes no space for this to happen and just keeps letting Bucky avoid when itâs clear heâs been seeing her long enough that she believes they should be tackling these things.
She asks him what he wants, and when he gives an answer she immediately and pretty strongly shoots him down: âSo, what do you want?â âPeaceâ âThat is utter bullshitâ (though there is a place for this, she did it pretty aggressively, and it felt like it bordered on - not calling him out on bs - but telling him what (she felt) he did and didnât think)
Forces Sam into a session when he doesnât want to be there and obviously doesnât have any previous agreement with her - making this an ethical concern and not just her being âunprofessionalâ
Has Sam and Bucky air grievances with each other and is quite sarcastic when Sam becomes understandably upset and leaves, as if he shouldnât have reacted like that. Which is especially strange because she orchestrated the whole situation and should have anticipated this possibility. âThanks doc, for making it weird.â âThank you, that wasâŠreally greatâ
The therapy is a step forward for the MCU, which is good because not a single superhero is getting away without some trauma, but they can do better. This is entertaining tv therapy, but to me at least, it seems pretty obvious that not only is Dr. Raynor not right for Bucky, she has some questionable practices overall. Thatâs not to say some of this stuff doesnât work, because for certain people itâs fine and even helpful. But itâs clear from tfatws that this is not working, and Dr. Raynor and Bucky do not have a good or productive relationship.Â
Iâm also pointing this out for the people who arenât in therapy or who havenât experienced bad therapy. Having a bad and invasive therapist can erode your trust in the whole profession and leave you worse off than when you first sought help. I had a therapist who was way, way less dismissive and invasive than Dr. Raynor, and several years on it still impacts me enough to make trying to find and trust a new therapist difficult. So yes, itâs entertaining in the show, but this is absolutely not okay in real life (and shouldnât be in the show, either. She doesnât have to be perfect, but toning everything down a bit would be a nice start).
Hopefully they point some of these things out in later episodes and get Bucky a better therapist, but if not, now you know. Also, she needs to apologize to Sam for that mess of a âsessionâ, it was so wildly unethical and wrong.
Thank you. I feel like so many people dismiss her treatment of Bucky mainly because heâs a guy and therefore tough love is automatically going to work. Bucky is sarcastic and angry (itâs PTSD, friends!) but heâs also extremely compassionate and can be emotionally open when he trusts someone and the fact that he obviously still doesnât trust her is telling.Â
I actually think her being a former soldier is a bad choice for Bucky. It may seem like a great idea, but Buckyâs issues go so much deeper than common veteransâ PTSD and survivorâs guilt. He needs something else. Heâs an abuse victim first and foremost and no one seems to be addressing that very much.Â
