Sometime ago, a poster mentioned that she had emailed The Dr. Phil show regarding abusive therapists. If I remember correctly, the show followed up with her. Was Dr. Phil willing to do a show on this?

I ask this because I've experienced emotional abuse by 3 therapists, and many many others have had abusive therapists.

Sorry about not continuing it in the same thread. I searched for it but could not find it.

Thank You.

Ideally, that would be great. But I do not think Dr. Phil is licensed; he has a PhD but is not a psychologist who is licensed. He mainly works with family issues on his show. Maybe Oprah? Same difference, different title.

A poster had mentioned that she approached his show. The show contacted this poster, and I was just wondering what happened.

[koru_kiwi]

is this the post you are referring to?

As if I don’t have enough stress-

[feralkittymom]

Well, that would be pretty rich, since he was censured because of a dual relationship with a client (he hired her to work in his office.) He was also the subject of a criminal complaint for practicing without a license in his involvement with Brittany Spears. There are on-going issues with his persistence in using the title "psychologist" which he seems to so far avoid by the legal paperwork guests on the show sign. And his first book is largely plagiarized from a seminar series he attended.


He'd be the perfect choice to host such a show!

[~Christina]

Personally “Dr Phil” is a bully ! He needs investigated. His just as bad a Jerry Springer and those shoes.. he likes to yell and upset people to get ratings.

He’s a horrible person, my opinion of course

[feralkittymom]

Agreed. He's been investigated multiple times, but he's apparently slippery in his skirting of legalities.

I wasn't interested in pursuing this. I was just curious to know what happened. That's all.

As I said several times, a poster mentioned it. I never said that I thought he should do a show on it. If it does happen, I'd watch it, but I sure wouldn't want to go on there.

Originally Posted by koru_kiwi

is this the post you are referring to?

As if I don’t have enough stress-

Thank you for the link.

[sarahsweets]

He is a crock of S***.
The scumbag tactics Dr. Phil uses to populate his human zoo

Originally Posted by Going Ballistic

Sometime ago, a poster mentioned that she had emailed The Dr. Phil show regarding abusive therapists. If I remember correctly, the show followed up with her. Was Dr. Phil willing to do a show on this?

I ask this because I've experienced emotional abuse by 3 therapists, and many many others have had abusive therapists.

Sorry about not continuing it in the same thread. I searched for it but could not find it.

Thank You.

@Going Ballistic

By the way, I'm sorry if my original reply seemed a bit blunt. But the others have addressed concerns about Dr. Phil, based on what has been published. I'm not sure what news is fake or not anymore, so I try to see if there are any legally published documents or documents that can be requested via FOIA, to validate, but I frankly don't have the time. What I understand, however, is that Dr. Phil has a doctorate in psychology, but he is not a licensed psychologist. Whether or not he was licensed at one point, or whether or not his license was taken away, is another issue.

I also believe in rehabilitation for past offenders, and restorative justice. If his license was revoked in the past, but if his show is trying to in some way help others, which may also demonstrate some of his rehabilitation, then more power to him. That said, however, it would be hard for such a person in that position to speak about therapy abuse without having it inadvertently affect him (if he had past transgressions) or affecting his past clients when he presumably was licensed (that is, if he presumably did abuse one or more clients in the past).

That said, it would be powerful for a past offender to come forward and, as a form of restorative justice, admit their wrongdoing, apologize profusely to their past victims, state what they are trying to do in the here and now to move forward, to hear from their past victims in terms of what they had to heal from and what they went through in conjunction with forgiveness, and to see what can be done to prevent other professionals from abusing clients in the same way. --Now that would offer more respect for past offenders and more hope for their past victims and preventative measures against future victimizations/perpetrations. But again, it depends on whether or not such instances actually occurred, and on the laws. Every person has a right to defend themselves from alleged accusations, so it's rare to see such admissions and restorative justice examples take place. It would be empowering though.

Anyway, I thought I'd just add this so that you don't feel "attacked" for the suggestion. Your suggestion sounds like a good one. I just think there should be some caution in bringing this to Dr. Phil's attention, given what has been written about him.

[precaryous]

Hi, the post was my mine. I responded to a query on the Dr. Phil website. I told them a bit of my story and my information. Included a copy of the news article detailing the arrest of psychiatrist I had seen, also sent them links to the medical boards showing his medical license was subsequently revoked in two states for sexual exploitation of three female patients, dishonesty, gross negligence, repeated acts of negligence and a few other items. I wanted them to know I was the real deal.

Within a week a producer emailed me asking for more information and she was very interested...to reply with haste.

I talked it over with T and we decided there was no guarantee how much support I would need or get if I appeared on the show. Plus, I wasn’t sure I was stable enough to appear or what would be involved. I sent my regrets.

The producer seemed very interested. If any of you are up for it, feel free to contact them.

Regarding Dr.Phil’s standing in the mental health community, yes, I’m aware he was sanctioned. T said she felt he was disciplined beyond the norm, meaning, he must have been found guilty of something extraordinary. Not meaning he *shouldnt* have been disciplined...

I didn’t care about all that. My thought was/is .....the topic of therapist exploitation needs that large of a platform to reach the public.

I remember years ago, Gary Schoener, PhD. appeared on a panel, I think, on Oprah and he spoke about therapist exploitation. It’s been done but many years ago.

Originally Posted by precaryous

Hi, the post was my mine. I responded to a query on the Dr. Phil website. I told them a bit of my story and my information. Included a copy of the news article detailing the arrest of psychiatrist I had seen, also sent them links to the medical boards showing his medical license was subsequently revoked in two states for sexual exploitation of three female patients, dishonesty, gross negligence, repeated acts of negligence and a few other items. I wanted them to know I was the real deal.

Within a week a producer emailed me asking for more information and she was very interested...to reply with haste.

I talked it over with T and we decided there was no guarantee how much support I would need or get if I appeared on the show. Plus, I wasn’t sure I was stable enough to appear or what would be involved. I sent my regrets.

The producer seemed very interested. If any of you are up for it, feel free to contact them.

Regarding Dr.Phil’s standing in the mental health community, yes, I’m aware he was sanctioned. T said she felt he was disciplined beyond the norm, meaning, he must have been found guilty of something extraordinary. Not meaning he *shouldnt* have been disciplined...

I didn’t care about all that. My thought was/is .....the topic of therapist exploitation needs that large of a platform to reach the public.

I remember years ago, Gary Schoener, PhD. appeared on a panel, I think, on Oprah and he spoke about therapist exploitation. It’s been done but many years ago.

@precaryous

I am so sorry you went through that. You are so brave for taking those steps toward justice, and for helping to prevent this from happening to other potential victims.

This is the first time I'm hearing about "therapist exploitation." That sounds so predatory and scary. It would be an interesting piece for a talk show, and one that would bring about awareness of this issue.

That said, your T sounds like a good T that cautioned about what the effects of being on a show and going public might entail, and whether or not you'd have adequate support during and after the show.

When I consider what Dr. Ford (v. Kavanaugh) went through during and after her testimony that went public, I felt even more scared to come out, and still am. Her testimony brought awareness, but was also scrutinized, and I'm sure retraumatizing. I've heard neighbors from where I used to live before discuss that case and the me-too movements in negative ways, and it was really hard for me to hear that, being that I'm a survivor with moral injuries concerning not coming forward when I feel that I should have. I admire people like you with courage to come forward. I wish I had your strength and courage. It is hard coming out though. The few times that I did with whom I thought were trustworthy turned out into a debate concerning victim-blaming and my culpability in the crimes committed against me. Questions from my own family let alone friends at the time went something like this: Are you sure? Did you say no? Did you do anything to fight back? Is it just your mental illness? Are you making this up for attention? Are you sure your therapist didn't put those ideas in your head? ...and the questions continued in a more hostile manner. All I wanted was support, but what I got was interrogation. All I wanted was awareness, but all I got was victim-blaming.

Only few people - some family, most friends - supported me, but it wasn't strong enough for me to come forward back around the time the things happened to me. I regret not coming forward back then, and I regret trying to come forward years later when I was victimized by different offenders in my life. Revictimization or polyvictimization is so easy to see through victim-blaming lenses (e.g., "Why did you put yourself in those situations?" or "Your PTSD makes it more likely that you're a target in the future"), as opposed to offenders being in the wrong. For instance, if victims are supposed to change their posture, attitudes, choices, dress, etc., just to avoid offenders and being targeted by them, then what do we say to children who are victimized, or disabled persons without the ability to fight for themselves (e.g., when rape victims get asked to learn self defense)? Should those who aren't able to self-defend be blamed for not defending themselves, and for therefore being an easy target for offenders? Should children be culpable in their victimizations because of their own symptoms, behavioral problems, etc.? Coming out brings all these sorts of debates and not as much comfort or validation for victims, in my opinion.

I do agree that more awareness and courageous testimonies are needed, but we do need a lot of support in place for that to happen, and to prepare for the inevitable backlash that will likely ensue. Even when offenders are convicted, the public tends to ask what roles the victim played.

It's sad. It's scary. But it's courageous.

[precaryous]

“I do agree that more awareness and courageous testimonies are needed, but we do need a lot of support in place for that to happen, and to prepare for the inevitable backlash that will likely ensue. Even when offenders are convicted, the public tends to ask what roles the victim played.”

..and some times people in our life, our family, the public..not only victim blame...they don't believe us.

They don’t want to believe that something similar can happen to them.

Originally Posted by lillib

@Going Ballistic

By the way, I'm sorry if my original reply seemed a bit blunt. But the others have addressed concerns about Dr. Phil, based on what has been published. I'm not sure what news is fake or not anymore, so I try to see if there are any legally published documents or documents that can be requested via FOIA, to validate, but I frankly don't have the time. What I understand, however, is that Dr. Phil has a doctorate in psychology, but he is not a licensed psychologist. Whether or not he was licensed at one point, or whether or not his license was taken away, is another issue.

I also believe in rehabilitation for past offenders, and restorative justice. If his license was revoked in the past, but if his show is trying to in some way help others, which may also demonstrate some of his rehabilitation, then more power to him. That said, however, it would be hard for such a person in that position to speak about therapy abuse without having it inadvertently affect him (if he had past transgressions) or affecting his past clients when he presumably was licensed (that is, if he presumably did abuse one or more clients in the past).

That said, it would be powerful for a past offender to come forward and, as a form of restorative justice, admit their wrongdoing, apologize profusely to their past victims, state what they are trying to do in the here and now to move forward, to hear from their past victims in terms of what they had to heal from and what they went through in conjunction with forgiveness, and to see what can be done to prevent other professionals from abusing clients in the same way. --Now that would offer more respect for past offenders and more hope for their past victims and preventative measures against future victimizations/perpetrations. But again, it depends on whether or not such instances actually occurred, and on the laws. Every person has a right to defend themselves from alleged accusations, so it's rare to see such admissions and restorative justice examples take place. It would be empowering though.

Anyway, I thought I'd just add this so that you don't feel "attacked" for the suggestion. Your suggestion sounds like a good one. I just think there should be some caution in bringing this to Dr. Phil's attention, given what has been written about him.

No need to apologize. I don't feel attacked. I wasn't the poster that was interested in doing this. I was just curious about what happened.

Actually when I read about precaryous emailing the Dr. Phil show, I wondered if it would be a good idea to reach out to Dr. Todd Grande on the YouTube channel or Dr. Tracey Marks. I thought this because they want feedback about mental health from the public. And communication would be private.

[HD7970GHZ]

Going Ballistic,

My heart goes out to you. Therapy has failed you and I deeply empathize with you.

Interesting topic. While I would LOVE to see more exposure on these topics, I wonder if Dr. Phil would be willing to do it. I think Dr. Phil should do an expose on the inherent dangers of therapy - utilizing his platform for a face for change within the industry. Unfortunately, from what I gather, Dr. Phil is himself accused of being unethical in his own practice.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

Originally Posted by HD7970GHZ

Going Ballistic,

My heart goes out to you. Therapy has failed you and I deeply empathize with you.

Interesting topic. While I would LOVE to see more exposure on these topics, I wonder if Dr. Phil would be willing to do it. I think Dr. Phil should do an expose on the inherent dangers of therapy - utilizing his platform for a face for change within the industry. Unfortunately, from what I gather, Dr. Phil is himself accused of being unethical in his own practice.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

Thank You. Therapy has not failed me. I have found a great psychologist and have been seeing him for almost 30 years. I think it would be much better approaching Dr. Todd Grande and Dr. Marks from YouTube.

[junkDNA]

I wish I could go on there and tell my story and tell everyone my abuser therapists name

To me it wouldn't be about dr Phil cuz let's face it - F that guy

To me it would be about reaching his audience , the millions of people who watch his show .

But , I'm not even legally allowed to talk about what happened to me , let alone say my abuser therapists name.

[precaryous]

Originally Posted by junkDNA

I wish I could go on there and tell my story and tell everyone my abuser therapists name

To me it wouldn't be about dr Phil cuz let's face it - F that guy

To me it would be about reaching his audience , the millions of people who watch his show .

But , I'm not even legally allowed to talk about what happened to me , let alone say my abuser therapists name.

Yes, exactly that...the aim would be reaching his audience and to have something good come out of the bad that happened to me.

And as far as I’m concerned, they can *try* to come after the measly $$ I received from the civil case. But that money didn’t come from AbusivePDoc, bc he didn’t *have* malpractice insurance. That money came from an employer of his who did have malpractice insurance. But it was just ‘nuisance money...them not claiming responsibility and paying me a tiny amount to end the case.

I don’t own anything. I don’t work so they can’t garnish my wages. At the worst, I would file for bankruptcy like HE did many times to stop discovery and the case. Come get me so I can put his name out there!

Although, just so you know, it wasn’t my intent to expose his name on tv...just the topic and that I am a survivor. It would hurt his family. It’s not their fault he’s an asshole. But if worse came to worse I doubt his side could get anything from me.

But I’m not going to go. For anyone who thinks about going, there’s a lot to consider.

[precaryous]

Originally Posted by Going Ballistic

Actually when I read about precaryous emailing the Dr. Phil show, I wondered if it would be a good idea to reach out to Dr. Todd Grande on the YouTube channel or Dr. Tracey Marks. I thought this because they want feedback about mental health from the public. And communication would be private.

Thank you
This is the first I’ve known about Grande and Marks. What would they do with the information? Why do they want it?

Are they asking or videoing about the topic of therapist exploitation?

I think Dr. Grand and Dr. Marks and possibly Kati Morton would be good clinicians to bring this up with. They take all kinds of questions and comments regarding mental health from the community, and we can remain anonymous.

Anyway, we could discuss what type of treatment would be good for those whom have been hurt by mental health providers. Has there ever been research conducted in this area? Probably not enough research was done.

This would be another way to reach millions of people.

[precaryous]

Originally Posted by Going Ballistic

I think Dr. Grand and Dr. Marks and possibly Kati Morton would be good clinicians to bring this up with. They take all kinds of questions and comments regarding mental health from the community, and we can remain anonymous.

Anyway, we could discuss what type of treatment would be good for those whom have been hurt by mental health providers. Has there ever been research conducted in this area? Probably not enough research was done.

This would be another way to reach mmillions of people.

Awesome. It would be good to know other clinicians opinions.
Therapist exploitation has been researched in the past in the 80’s and 90’s. I know the names, Gary Schoener,Ph.D, Glenn Gabbard, M.D., Peter Rutter, M.D., Kenneth Pope, PhD., Bouhoutous, Holroyd, Janet Sonne, Janet Wohlberg , etc.

I haven’t seen many current studies. I don’t know why MH researchers have stopped studying it.. that would be a good question to ask, too.