title: The Wizard of Oz. A parable of brief psychotherapy.
abstract: The popularity and familiarity of The Wizard of Oz make the story a useful parable for teaching certain approaches to short-term psychotherapy. The Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion represent the clinical syndromes of low self-esteem, restricted emotional expressiveness, and anxiety. The Wizard's method of "cure" is described together with three parallel cases from the author's practice. The author makes brief reference to the theoretical issue of cognitive shifts as the basis for such psychotherapy.
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009040:Motion Pictures; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D012649:Self Concept