Dr. Phil McGraw – How’s that working for you?

It’s an “Easy like Sunday” and I have a headache. Boo. Hiss. I decided that today, instead of writing about a particular book, I’d write about a person who is big, big, BIG in the self-help industry. So big, he has his very own “Dr. Philisms”:

There is no denying he’s a force to be reckoned with. Though he is not a medical doctor, he holds a doctorate in psychology (which is why he may legitimately be called “Dr. Phil”). He has quite an extensive history, and like I say, my head hurts so I’m not going to get into all of it, so feel free to read more about him here.

Here’s something interesting I would like to mention… he is the co-founder and president of Courtroom Sciences, Inc.(CSI), the nation’s leading trial consulting firm. Ever heard of the television show “Bull“? Well, it’s “inspired by” Dr. Phil’s life. Oh, and he’s a producer of the show. So, there’s that.

It was in 1996 and through CSI that Dr. Phil met Oprah Winfrey. Remember her lawsuit with the beef industry?

“It was through Courtroom Sciences that Dr. Phil met Oprah Winfrey. In 1996, she was being sued by cattlemen who claimed she defamed the beef industry on one of her shows, and the talk-show queen hired Dr. Phil to assist during the trial.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

I’ve had several books of McGraw’s through the years and mostly appreciated them but not enough to keep them in my personal collection. In fact, most of the TV guru’s I’ve read have gone to the eventual junk heap (thrift store) as I’ve mentioned once or twice before. To be honest, the one (and only) book of McGraw’s I saved is The Life Strategies Workbook. Of course, it’s supposed to go with the Life Strategies actual book which I picked up from the library and promptly returned because… who cared? It was a rehash of the workbook, which I’d read first. I’m a rebel like that. Ha!

This workbook stands alone and I like it a lot, which is why I kept it. It’s chock full of self-tests and exercises and stuff. Cover-to-cover! It’s really quite excellent! He can be quite excellent. But not always. And lately, not often.

I see his television show on occasion and am mostly bored by it. It’s turned into salacious schlock, in my opinion, but then, I’m picky. I don’t watch much daytime “talk show” style television. Even if they have good in them, they smack more of Jerry Springer (hated it) than Phil Donahue (loved it). I know this dates me horribly. You may be asking, “Um, who?” They’re two guys with vastly different talk shows (in both style and agenda) in and around the 1980s. Ah, memories.

So, Dr. Phil for the most part… isn’t working for me. But he’s also not terrible. Actually, a long way from that. And he’s no dummy. I’m not sure what it is… I’m just not a raving fan.

Perhaps he is an acquired taste?