I don’t want fall into criticizing Dr. Phil on a personal level. I am not here to bash the way he talks, looks, gestures, nothing of that sort. It’s really none of my business how he talks or dresses himself or any of that. And I am unconcerned about those things. They really don’t matter enough for me to concern myself with them. I have never been a Dr. Phil watcher. I know he has a show that comes on every afternoon and I know the type of things he typically approaches. That’s about the extent of my firsthand knowledge.
I watched an episode this afternoon. I didn’t pick, but I voluntarily involved myself in the watching of this show. I found myself terribly anxious during the entire hour. The guests were four members of a family. A son, a daughter, and their parents. The parents were married, but had been through the husband’s affair (which he preferred to call his “break,” e.g. “You had an affair,” “Well, no, I just broke.” Interesting.) The wife had severe ovarian cancer during the time of his affair. Those were not the problems they were on the show for. The reason for their appearance on Dr. Phil was the daughter’s addiction to prescription drugs and heroine, primarily. She was an active user of just about whatever she could get her hands on. Marijuana, meth, morphine, Oxycontin, Xanex, just about anything. She was 21, didn’t work, and spent most of her days and nights searching out and bartering for her next hit. It’s a sad story and it really happens. I know that.
Back to the anxiety I felt while watching… It made me tense, I felt wrong watching it. I felt like I was spying on her pain, peeping into her intimate struggles. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad because she agreed to come on the show. It still felt off. Dr. Phil was pretty mean, too. He was harsh, he spoke right over her, he didn’t listen. She tried to explain that one of the clips had misconstrued her actions and instead of just letting her say what she wanted to he first responded, “You want to tell me what? That you do drugs? That you’ve been prostituting yourself for drugs? I know that.” I found that totally unnecessary. He had no advice for her during the show. He had Dr. Travis Stork tell her that when she buys prescription drugs from dealers, she can’t be sure that she’s getting the same concoction she expects. Well, duh. I’m sure she knew that. To bring this home he threw some insult about her not having a medical degree. I don’t think that she was under the impression that she was a doctor, though. Then he had a previous guest on the show say, “I have been where you are, I know how it feels. And you can do this.” That’s all good and well, but not much of substance. Then he had a couple who had found their son dead in bed from an overdose say a few words. Scare tactics. I guess that works for some.
He really had nothing to offer the family during the hour. He told the daughter she would have only one chance at recovery and that would be to go to the rehab program he was offering. That’s the good part, I guess. He offered her a free rehab. I just don’t get why or how the time on the show is helpful. It kind of seems like you’re paying for your rehab by being traumatized through the filming and eventual airing of the episode you join. You provide Dr. Phil with an opportunity for profit and he’ll give you an opportunity at free rehab. It’s a trade. I guess it might work for some. Although, it’s definitely a risk. I just don’t like the set-up. It doesn’t work for me. It’s seems harmful and greedy. He’s not a counselor. At least, he’s not offering counsel. It makes me sad.
Maybe I’m missing something. I hope that I am. If you can see it, point it out to me. It really seems like a big gimmick, though. A big, sad money-making scheme.
You can at least look at the bright side of her treatment, should she choose it, it will help her deal with all the traumas of the past, this show being one to include. Besides that, addiction is a very unfortunate situation for a person and family to deal with. It is nothing you can even scratch the surface on in just an hour, so to have someone that far into their addiction come on a show is simply for ratings. It is sad that people are so willing to take advantage of someone when they are at their lowest point in life. What may be sadder still are all those people so eager to watch and support through audience participation and sponsorship, and calling to take part believing he is a help.
I would only say that as awful as the programming issue is, this may be the only way the family found to get help for their daughter. Counseling in itself is terribly expensive. Most counselors don’t take insurance even if you are fortunate enough to have it. Drug rehab is an expense that can completely ruin a family. I would say that most people cannot even manage it, and that may be the reason so many people don’t get help at all. This very issue (not the Dr. Phill issue) affected my family when I was growing up. It left us all marked from the experience. I honestly do not know what I would do if I were in this situation as an adult. It is so much to deal with and decide what is right. After drug rehab impacted our family, the problem was not solved, but the money was spent and the family eventually fell apart. You can never guarantee a good outcome no matter how you approach it. The first thing you need, though, is a willing participant, or it will all be in vain.
I used to be an avid Dr. Phil watcher. I watched him when he had his own day on Oprah’s show and after he got his own show. After the first few seasons (very few) his show became very sensationalistic. It was more about the crazy drama and much less about the actual counseling. He used to actually counsel when he was on Oprah. I quit watching when he quit counseling.
I do have a few Dr. Phil quotes that I like and use. My favorite quote that I use the most often is when my students refused to do the things I recommend they do to get correct answers. I am not a ‘strategy nazi’ type teacher. If you don’t use my strategy, fine. But your’s better work. So, when they continue to try to subtract without showing their work and then fail the assignment, I ask them, “How’s that workin’ for ya? Now do it my way.”