at the heart of a cabinet on France 2

According to Health Insurance, one in four people will face a mental health problem in their life. However, as widespread as they are, psychological pathologies are, often out of shame, passed over in silence. As for the care provided in response to these ills and those who provide them, they are shrouded in a mystery coated with preconceived ideas.

To demystify what usually remains confidential, the teams of Bruno Henriquet (Warner Bros. International Television Production) have imagined the program “Rendez-vous chez le psy”, broadcast on France 2 from October 6, 2025 and available in preview on France.tv from October 3, 2025.

Multiple variations are also offered (see our boxes below). “It was time to remove the aura of secrecy around what happens in a practice,” said Claire Dahan, one of the four psychologists recruited for the program. And one of her colleagues, Delphine Py, added: “and to change the image of the shrink, that of an old man sitting on his sofa and saying “hum hum” then, “that will be €70, see you next week””.

1 patient + 1 psychologist + 5 cameras

The principle is simple: psychotherapists currently practicing across the four corners of France (Clermont-Ferrand, Le Cannet, Lille, Paris) receive individually, in the same fictitious office, four people and a couple seeking psychological help. They have identified an element in their life that is holding them back, weighing them down, harming them and are ready to move forward.

But the subtlety lies in the fact that their therapy is filmed and recorded. Because following their response to the production house’s casting call and their meeting with psychologists (other than those who will follow them), they were selected for a strange adventure.

The “In therapy” series in real life…

This non-fictional version of “In therapy”, the successful Arte series, is therefore based on reality. Here, no storyline, no acting, no script. If the duration of the screen sessions is reduced, the remarks are not edited in any way and the flow of the words is respected, assure the producers.

We still notice that patients have constant motivation, that their words are very clear, and that progress is real… Which is not always the case in psychotherapy sessions, far from it.

Sonia, Mélinda, Jibril, Sara, Margot and Mathieu are filmed during six sessions of 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes spaced one week apart. It should be noted that three other non-filmed sessions also took place and that, at the patients’ request, longer follow-up could then be put in place.

These patients thus progressed, guided by one of the professionals who offer brief therapies, but with varied orientations (EMDR, IMO, behavioral and cognitive therapies, hypnosis, etc.). Behind this range, two ambitions: to show that therapy can be short and to offer viewers “a way to find what would suit them. It’s an exploration of the therapeutic panel to knock on the right door,” explains Delphine Py.

A little fake to speak the truth

To maintain the authenticity of an appointment with the psychologist, the production teams had to use a few tricks, such as filming an arrival in a building while the office was set up on the set of a television studio. They built a cabinet from scratch (waiting room and office) in order to hide five cameras behind one-way glass.

In this way, no technical staff, no movement or noise could disrupt the sessions. “With his microphone installed, the patient no longer meets anyone from production. Once he walks through the door to sit in the waiting room, it’s just like a normal appointment. He experiences therapy “like in real life”,” explains Bruno Henriquet.

Personal stories with universal echoes

The reasons for consulting these six people were carefully selected “to speak to as many people as possible”, specifies Audrey Briand, producer.

Sonia, 42, lost her husband and is struggling to get back on her feet; Mélinda, 37, suffered a spontaneous termination of pregnancy and struggles with pain and guilt; Jibril, 23, rejected by his family because of his homosexuality, lives in fear of seeing this situation happen again; Sara, 26, adopted as a little girl, carries a complex story that she does not want to pass on to her own child; Margot and Mathieu, 30 years old, have not gotten along since the birth of their baby.

Quickly, the feeling of voyeurism that arises from listening to the wounds of these strangers gives way to a form of empathy, comparable to that experienced by listening to lives other than ours, as in the program “It starts today”.

Facing the camera, therapists and patients also provide their analysis of what happens during the sessions and between them. Comments which above all allow viewers to understand the methods and tools used by professionals. “It’s a decoding show. We need a reading of what psychologists and patients think,” says Renaud Rahard, director of programs at Warner Bros.

It remains to be seen whether, beyond possible audience success, the initial goal will be achieved. That is to say, encouraging people to consult more. And thus, perhaps, lower this percentage: 23% of French people have the feeling of not taking care of their mental health, including 36% of women and 38% of 18-24 year olds.

Young audiences are not forgotten. Dedicated content is offered to them on France Télévisions’ social networks and its platforms. A good idea when we know that in recent years, the mental health of children and adolescents has deteriorated to a worrying extent.