Which psychotherapist treats Josh Lyman in "Noël"?

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Which psychotherapist treats Josh Lyman in “Noël”? Stanley Keyworth does. Played by Adam Arkin, Keyworth is brought in after Josh raises his voice at President Bartlet and begins showing troubling changes in behavior.

Keyworth works with the American Trauma Victims Association, or ATVA, and specializes in trauma cases. During their session, he probes Josh’s bandaged hand, his identification with a suicidal Air Force pilot, and his memories of the Rosslyn shooting. Rather than accepting Josh’s explanation that he cut his hand on glass, Keyworth recognizes that the injury is part of a larger crisis.

Keyworth helps Josh understand how brass instruments at the White House party subconsciously resemble emergency sirens, triggering the memory of his shooting. The session leads to Josh’s diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. A common mix-up is to confuse Stanley with Bernard Thatch, another guest character in the episode who handles the White House painting subplot.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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