I thought about giving this show 1 star, but then I took into consideration that he does engage people in a dialogue about important and relevant topics, such as emergency preparedness surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, antisemitism, and dangerous social media trends. But look at how many years he spent talking about pointless crap and having dysfunctional people as guests! I had a psych teacher who said she couldn't stand Dr. Phil. I was watching the show at the time and thought he was an amazing psychologist. Well, I was 18, somewhat naive, attending a community college, and was undecided about my major at the time. I now have a Bachelor's in psychology, and the more I've watched this show over the years, the more I've realized Dr. Phil doesn't conduct himself like a real therapist, so I see why my professor didn't like him. He once asked a guest if she completed the fourth grade. No therapist would do that, and if they did, they would have their license revoked. For starters, recording therapy sessions is generally discouraged, as it creates privacy issues. When it comes to group therapy, recording the session is a violation of the other people's privacy too. I understand this is a TV show, so obviously the guests know they're going to be recorded/filmed beforehand, but it's just unrealistic. When people know they're on camera, they say things and exhibit behavior (body language and facial expressions, for example) that they wouldn't say or exhibit if they weren't in front of a camera. Therefore, Dr. Phil's "therapy" is not naturalistic. It's all done for entertainment purposes. I hope people haven't been watching and thinking he exemplifies what an authentic therapy session looks like. There were also many times I found the audience's laughter inappropriate. Whether or not they were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, the guests he had on his show weren't funny. They were often couples on the verge of divorce because of their own silly hang-ups, idiotic people who tried to rationalize something they did or said that was clearly wrong, and teenagers or sometimes adults who were too coddled and spoiled by their parents (this one man who lived with his mom - he didn't have a job, his room was a mess, and he was so lazy that instead of leaving his room to use the bathroom, he would pee in bottles). Someone please tell me, where is the humor? I agree with the other users who left negative reviews - he does exploit people who have mental illnesses. If you think about it most talk shows - with the exception of the ones where celebrities are interviewed - exploit people: Maury, Steve Wilkos, Jerry Springer, Karamo, Jeremy Kyle. The guests on those programs are usually illiterate, and the guests who go on Dr. Phil tend to be more well spoken and educated, but it's all the same thing: people, black and white, going on national TV thinking they'll be receiving help for their issues, but they always end up arguing with their spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, or family members, and the host does nothing to de-escalate their argument, which causes the audience both in the studio and at home to laugh at them like they're a sideshow at the circus. It's really stupid. If I want to be entertained, I'll watch a movie. Occasionally the episodes of Dr. Phil are interesting, but he should've been canceled a long time ago. For anyone who's currently studying psychology and thinking about becoming a therapist, please do not use this show as a guide!
