Line #36 PlayingWith/ThereAreNoTherapists


1	'''Basic Trope''': [[TitleDrop There are no therapists]] around to advice or assist any of the cast members, no matter [[DysfunctionJunction how much they need help]].
2	* '''Straight''': Alice is [[ResignedToTheCall an unwilling soldier]] in a [[TheMasquerade secret war]]. She doesn't get professional help for her problems.
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** [[DysfunctionJunction Every member of the cast has a host of problems]]. Nobody ever gets help and they get worse as the series progresses.
5	** The psychiatric profession has been gotten rid of.
6	* '''Downplayed''':
7	** There are therapists, but they're all overworked and underfunded.
8	** AllTherapistsAreMuggles
9	** The characters have had therapy in the past and it didn't work, so they disregard trying again entirely.
10	** Alice doesn't utilize modern Western therapy, but she does take part in more traditional methods of dealing with psychological distress -- prayer, meditation, community support, {{a\|rson murder and jaywalking}}nd [[FuzzTherapy having a dog]].
11	* '''Justified''':
12	** There ''actually are'' no therapists in the setting. The series takes place before the advent of psychology, AfterTheEnd, therapists were banned or something ([[TruthInTelevision which is not an unheard-of situation]]), etc. Therapists are simply not available.
13	** Characters believe that psychiatry is useless or even harmful, or that needing therapy is a sign of weakness. This could be a personal belief, or a cultural one, or they could belong to an occupation like law enforcement or the military where such attitudes are common.
14	** The characters in question are all unable to pay for therapy.
15	** The characters can't tell anybody about TheMasquerade. If they ''did'', nobody would believe them anyway.
16	** The FiveManBand is comprised of HumanAliens and their species can endure high amounts of stress and trauma.
17	** The characters live in a country where mental healthcare is notoriously poor quality.
18	** There ''are'' therapists, but too few of them -- the therapists are all so backlogged with work that they must prioritize urgent cases.
19	** Alice is a well-known pariah in her community, so most therapists outright refuse to treat her and the ones that do might deliberately try to sabotage her out of spite.
20	* '''Inverted''':
21	** Alice, an ordinary person, is forced into a BedlamHouse and ends up with a host of problems as a result.
22	** There are therapists available in every area, and TheSquad's supervisor ordered them to go every week. The problem is that none of the heroes take their therapy seriously.
23	** The therapist is a {{Jerkass}} who spends more time telling everybody Alice is a psycho and/or trying to send her to the BedlamHouse and off her hands than, you know, doing her sworn and paid job to try to help Alice.
24	** ''Everyone'' is a therapist.
25	* '''Subverted''':
26	** There are truly no therapists in the whole universe, so when Alice AxCrazy, Bob invents psychiatry.
27	** There really are no educated therapists, so Alice and Bob [[TrueCompanions use each other as therapists, listening and comforting each other during times of hardships]].
28	* '''Double Subverted''':
29	** ...but psychiatry doesn't really catch on.
30	** ...but Bob turns out to be a TreacherousAdvisor.
31	** Unfortunately, Bob is {{Mind Rape}}d by a monster during a mission and the damage goes way beyond what "having a shoulder to cry on" alone can fix. Alice will either need to find an actual therapist, or hit the books fast.
32	* '''Parodied''':
33	** Alice is constantly complaining about having no one to confide in, but everyone she meets suggests she go to a therapist, half her friends are therapists, the other half are constantly suggesting ''their'' therapists, and therapists frequently approach her and offer their services. However, Alice is addicted to the attention she gets from moaning and comes up with increasingly feeble excuses not to go into therapy.
34	** All of the therapists are so stressed with unusual cases like Alice's that they must seek other therapists for help. By the time Alice herself attempts to seek a therapist, they're all busy dealing with each other to have any time for her.
35	** Therapists are shot on sight.
36	** There are signs saying No Therapists.
37	* '''Zig Zagged''': The cast can get by without help by relying on each other, but there are situations where that isn't enough and they get close to self-destruction, occasionally to the point where [[InterruptedSuicide they stop a friend from killing him/herself]]. After they save the world/break the {{Masquerade}}/whatever, then they move on, get the help they need, or self-destruct, whatever the case might be.
38	* '''Averted''':
39	** There are therapists available (of TheShrink Type 3), and the characters can see them anytime they need to (during regular office hours).
40	** None of the characters are in need of psychotherapy.
41	* '''Enforced''': The characters being well-adjusted would break the plot.
42	* '''Lampshaded''': "With all the crap they go through, you'd think they would have a therapist on call."
43	* '''Invoked''': Evulz systematically executes everyone who has any education that "has a chance at fostering [[ThoughtCrime unacceptable revelations]]". Psychologists are one of the many professions subject to extermination.
44	* '''Exploited''': The BigBad knows Alice has some unresolved mental issues that can't be fixed, and takes advantage of them by making them worse and taking Alice out of commission.
45	* '''Defied''': "Okay, you guys. We are ''not'' doing the angst-suicidal-[[ByronicHero Byronic]]-misery thing. All of us are going to a therapist ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis RIGHT. NOW.]]''"
46	* '''Discussed''': "With the issues some of our group have, it's amazing none of us have been committed, let alone gone to therapy."
47	* '''Conversed''': "Why do none of these characters ever take advantage of the psychological assistance that must be available to them?"
48	* '''Implied''':
49	** Out of all of the characters with mental issues, none of them have ever gotten better.
50	** Alice takes a walk throughout the entire city. Out of the hundreds of buildings, none of them are therapy centers or mental hospitals.
51	** "What do you mean this city needs a psychiatric center? Do you need to see the local wizard or time lord too?"
52	* '''Deconstructed''':
53	** [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Without any sort of emotional backup, the heroes ultimately self-destruct, dooming the world to destruction]].
54	** Without therapists, the morale and sanity of the public drops substantially. Both the crime and suicide rates skyrocket, leaving the world in constant fear. That fear eats away at the sanity of the few remaining normal people. [[ViciousCycle They also]] start to lose their minds and the [[WorldGoneMad world became even more horrific]].
55	* '''Reconstructed''': Without any outside emotional support to rely on, the heroes instead become FireForgedFriends and a solid team, ultimately allowing them to save the world and [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happiness]].
56	* '''Played For Laughs''':
57	** The DysfunctionJunction of the characters is gradually driving them all up the wall in increasingly absurd ways.
58	** There are no therapists because Alice and her crew [[BreakTheMotivationalSpeaker drove]] them all [[CriticalPsychoanalysisFailure insane]]. For extra hilarity points, at least one of them is doing it intentionally or at least [[KillTally is carrying the score]].
59	* '''Played For Drama''': WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
60	* '''Played For Horror''':
61	** There are no therapists because the AncientConspiracy that is the story's villain intimidated or exterminated them all, a fact that is conveniently [[TheReveal revealed]] to Alice when she finally thinks of how strange this fact is and [[PullingTheThread goes looking for answers]]. And with this reveal, Alice now knows exactly how much the heroes are screwed.
62	** With no professional therapy, Alice and Bob undergo SanitySlippage.
63	----
64	Y'know, this page has got me bummed. Maybe I should go back to ThereAreNoTherapists... wait, what do you mean, "what's a therapist?"
65	----
66	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
67	%%
68	%%* '''Implied''': ???

Context PlayingWith / ThereAreNoTherapists