Broadcast since last year, the TVA documentary series provokes meetings between singles, which she then puts in contact with Louise Sigouin, a sex therapist and specialist in relationship support. In front of the cameras, the latter guides the candidates so that they break their models and learn to “love better”.
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The sex therapist Louise Sigouin in consultation with Dominic on the show If we loved each other
In each episode, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and Emily Bégin comment on the interactions between the participants, and meet with Louise Sigouin to discuss the situations observed.
Member of the Professional Order of Sexologists of Quebec, Patrice Bécotte has, like several colleagues, noticed the impact of the television meeting on his clientele. “People contacted me, stating that the show had weighed in the balance when evaluating the option of going or not to a sex therapist,” says the specialist in issues affecting sexual diversity.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAROLINE MESSIER BELLEMARE
Caroline Messier Bellemare, sexologist and psychotherapist
Many, many people tell me about it, not only my relatives, but also my clients. It’s a show that popularizes certain notions, which pushes people to think without being too heavy.
Caroline Messier Bellemare, sexologist and psychotherapist
Growing popularity
If we loved each other continues to expand its audience. In spring 2020, its first season attracted 684,000 viewers from Monday to Thursday, according to confirmed data from Numéris. A year later, that number reached 759,000 viewers. This fall, its third season attracts an average of 809,000 followers. And TVA has just announced the start of a fourth season.
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If we loved each other saw his widening his audience. In its first season in 2020, 684,000 viewers tuned in. This fall, in its third season, the show attracts 809,000 followers.
Psychotherapist and sexologist specializing in sexual violence, Latifa Boujallabia welcomes the interventions of Louise Sigouin, which she finds “fair, sympathetic and accessible”, but above all she welcomes the initiative of the network, which broadcasts the program at prime time from Monday to Thursday.
It joins people who had probably never asked questions about the role of a sex therapist. It demystifies a lot of things for a lot of people. I am convinced of it.
Latifa Boujallabia, psychotherapist and sex therapist
This concept of “demystification” excites sexologists, who believe that there is too much ignorance surrounding their profession.
“Even today, people think that a sex therapist is a sex technician, someone who gives techniques to have good sexual relations, summarizes Caroline Messier-Bellemare. By bringing a professional image, Louise [Sigouin] has been a game-changer for many viewers. And because the show brings people together and makes people talk, it standardizes consultation in sexology. People see that they are far from the only ones going through what they are going through, feeling what they are feeling. It breaks the taboo. ”
Fears dispelled
Louise Sigouin is obviously delighted to hear that If we loved each other breaks taboos and opens dialogue.
“I am very aware of the impact that the show has on people because they write it to me,” said the sex therapist in an interview. It gave them the courage to consult. Some have been thinking about it for a long time. Their couple was struggling, etc. But they lacked information, they had fears. By witnessing a process through television, they realized that there were people who could give them tools. ”
PHOTO ÉRIC MYRE, PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Louise Sigouin, sex therapist and relationship support specialist
Louise Sigouin knew that the show was likely to generate enthusiasm. Since her appointment book was already full when recording the first season, she had previously met with other sex therapists, as well as a social worker, so that they could “take over” in the event of a problem. influx of consultation requests. What happened.
Anne-Sophie Hollender is one of the sex therapists contacted by Louise Sigouin. During the consultations, her new clients not only talk about the famous “dualities” that Louise Sigouin discussed at length at the start of the show, they also evoke the books. If we loved each other. Released in 2020, the first volume sold 51,000 copies. Released last April, the second has passed the 27,000 copies sold.
“Even before coming to the office, people have already initiated a certain reflection, observes Anne-Sophie Hollender. Sometimes they will tell us about certain participants they saw on the show, who they can relate to, who display behaviors in which they can relate. ”
“People cite the program during the sessions,” adds Annabelle Lajoie, a social worker who welcomes clients recommended by Louise Sigouin. When they watch the show, they see that consulting can be simple. It can be very user-friendly. ”
TV influence
The example If we loved each other shows the power of the small screen. Like many sex therapists, Patrice Bécotte began to watch the program with “a lot of apprehension”.
“The representations of sex therapists in films, in series, it has always made me cringe… But seeing Louise Sigouin’s approach, seeing how the show respects the participants and respects our role, I been reassured. “
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PATRICE BÉCOTTE
Patrice Bécotte, sex therapist in counseling
It is done with kindness, with seriousness. It’s incredibly useful to me and to our profession, especially when compared to other shows that may have emerged recently …
Patrice Bécotte, sex therapist in counseling
Patrice Bécotte refers to Without an appointment, a comedy from ICI Tout.tv in which Magalie Lépine-Blondeau plays a nurse-sexologist who sees patients suffering from problems sometimes resulting from nested behavior, such as masturbating a horse. Although it is fictional, this series puts the brakes on people who might benefit from sexology support, he believes.
Same story with Vincent Quesnel, clinical sexologist and psychotherapist. Since television greatly influences the public, what we see there permeates the collective unconscious.
“I’ve seen it often in my office: shows that deal with sexuality have a lot of impact. I think about Fifty Shades of Gray or Sex Education on Netflix. People refer to what they have seen. ”