I guess he’s better than most of the daytime talk shows that I never watch but after reading Blunt Advice and No Pity Get Ratings for Dr. Phil in the NY Times this week, but I just don’t resonate with Phil McGraw, despite his “plain talk, tell-it-like-it-is” style.
It’s clear why he failed as a therapist — he can only give advice. “Has that car affected your hearing?” he thundered at a husband whose wife was weepily describing the damage his obsession with his toy car had done to their marriage. “What is it you are missing here? This is a deal breaker.”
Any therapist worth their salt knows that when a couple is stuck over a problem like this, there’s a lot more going on than the husband’s obsession with his car. So this is entertainment-counseling, not therapy. (It’s to his credit, though, that he bailed on his private practive and started a trial preparation consulting business.)
Phil Donahue worries about McGraw’s harsh approach. “You’ve got to be careful that theater doesn’t overlap the healing.” Not to worry, Mr. D. Ain’t no healing happening anyway.