Mia -- Week Seven

Paul, worried that he hasn't heard from Mia, tells her as much when she arrives for their session. She thought she'd hit bottom with the mistaken pregnancy, she says, but things got even worse last week, after she broached the details of her childhood with her father. He turned on her for "bringing up ancient history" and said it's no wonder she can't find a man. He's refused to speak with her since, and she spent the entire week in bed. She wants to quit therapy because she can't handle grappling with problems that never get solved. Paul explains that her relationship with her father is not over—just different. More honest, in fact. Mia wants to shelve the parental talk and says asks Paul to be her friend, but it's against the rules. He counters that breaking the rules is exactly what she's had in mind for their sessions—that she's setting him up to fail and feed the pattern of men letting her down. But Mia wants to talk about Paul's patterns—particularly the one in which his attractive female patients fall in love with him. "Don't tell me you haven't had fantasies about us," she says, stretching her legs toward him. "Crazy chicks are great in bed, right?" Paul fires back: Would that make Mia feel special enough? Would that put her in control? He asks whether many of her cases involve defending powerful men who've wronged innocent people—is every trip to court a defense of her father? Mia acknowledges the breakthrough, but still doesn't get how it helps. Paul explains that taking off her blinders and gaining self-knowledge is valuable, even if it doesn't give a quick fix. The pregnancy, needing a man—Mia is looking for an authentic connection, he says, and she finds it in these sessions. Time is up. After Paul says goodbye, Mia thanks him for everything and tells him she'll see him next week.