Dr Phil: Fulfilling or Just Fill?

Psychology has officially hit the big time on daytime television:
Psychologist Phil McGraw, Ph.D., once the mental health guru on Oprah
Winfrey's self-titled CBS talk show, aired the first episode of his own
hour-long show, "Dr. Phil," on September 16. Debuting with the highest
daytime ratings since "Oprah" first launched in 1986, "Dr Phil" is being
carried by nearly all TV markets-96 percent-as part of their regular
programming.

While televised therapy is popular, McGraw's on-air treatment and
advice differs significantly from that of conventional psychotherapy.
Traditional treatment is usually a non-confrontational, collaborative
effort between patient and doctor. Dr. Phil's approach, however, is just
the opposite: Provoking and direct.

Therapist Steve Brody, Ph.D., understands this approach to
psychology. "The older I get, the more I've learned to give people what
they've paid for," he explains. "People want to be heard and listened to,
and it is important to do that. But they also want feedback."

Judging from "Dr. Phil's" astronomical ratings, it seems that many
daytime viewers are taking the host's frank psychological advice to
heart. For good or for bad, McGraw is rapidly becoming the most-watched
psychologist out there. "He's entertaining, but I don't think that he is
unprofessional," says Brody. "That's saying a lot. He's good TV and he's
good psychology."

Steve Brody, Ph.D., is the author of
Renew your Marriage at Midlife(Perigee,
2000).