Dr. Phil McGraw’s rise to fame began when Oprah Winfrey hired him to prepare her for a high-stakes trial in 1996, when she was sued for $10 million by a group of Texas cattlemen who claimed that she had defamed the beef industry when she made comments on her show about the risks of mad cow disease. The world was first introduced to Dr. Phil when Winfrey invited him as a guest on her show, and later as a panelist who appeared weekly to talk about tough subjects. From there, McGraw was given his own weekly talk show, where he presented himself as a trustworthy, straight-talking doctor. So what’s the real truth? Dr. Phil is a doctor — he has a Ph.D. in Psychology. What he’s not is a licensed psychologist. In fact, he never refers to himself as a psychologist because he knows that to do so would bring him into conflict with California law. Unless you're working for the government or working in academia, you can't represent yourself as being a psychologist unless you hold a valid license. In Dr. Phil’s own words: "I listen and then suggest or refer them to the right professionals in whom I have confidence — the people who have the time and the focus to really get involved across time and work with them.” So, the next time you sit down to watch an episode of Dr. Phil, remember that he’s just a guy listening to other people’s problems.
