The Making of Dr. Phil: The Straight-Talking True Story of Everyone's Favorite Therapist

by Sophia Dembling and Lisa Gutierrez

Book Overview

The first biography of Dr. Phil McGraw and his rise to fame Millions look to Dr. Phil for advice on everything from relationships to life. But Dr. Phil is more than just a pop psychologist. He's also an amazing businessman who has started and run a number of flourishing ventures. In The Making of Dr. Phil, award-winning journalists Sophia Dembling and Lisa Gutierrez take readers inside the world of Dr. Phil and his media and self-help empire. From...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047146726X
• ISBN13: 9780471467267
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

This is a MUST READ book about Dr. Phil!

I just finished reading this book, "The Making Of Dr. Phil" which is an excellent book, and I recommend it to everyone who wants to see what the Wizard Of Oz looks like behind curtain. It paints a clear picture of the kind of person Dr. Phil really is, a hypocrite! What is interesting is that this book did not receive much publicity, as there is an alleged campaign against the book by Phil, and most media outlets refused to interview the writers for fear of retaliation from Phil. It also shows that Phil is really just an expert psychological manipulator and a very aggressive entrepreneur. Here are some random bullet points I picked out of the book, it's a worthwhile read...pick it up now! · Phil is not a therapist, and never really was. He hated doing therapy. He went into psychology as a way to make money. He is an expert negotiator, businessman. He is no longer even a licensed psychologist. Phil just uses psychology as a way to make money. He quit practice and went into the Court business, as that was a way he could use psychology as a weapon, and as a way to make a lot of money, and not have to deal with all these dumb people with their problems! · Phil has quite a sordid past. His first Gym business went bankrupt, and there is lots of evidence that he was still selling to people, when they knew it was going under. They were just spending all the money that came in, and were not putting the money into the health club. They had people buy long-term contracts, and then sold these contracts to 3rd parties, and even after the gym went under, those folks STILL has to keep paying for it! This was based on a tricky contract Phil designed. After that company went under, Phil left in the middle of the night, and to this day the people who got shafted are still bitter about what happened. · His first marriage was a disaster, he was controlling, abusive, and there were all sorts of charges of endless womanizing. His first wife speaks out very clearly on all of this. · "You Seminars" which became Pathways, with Thelma Box, was pure sleazy "charismatic" seminar stuff. This is where Phil started to apply all of his salesmanship and psychological seminar tricks, and started to make some money. Thelma Box spills the beans on how Phil takes credit for other people work, and even tried to scam her near the end. Phil would also abuse the "volunteers" that worked for Pathways. · Phil is NOT a registered psychologist anymore. He ran into trouble years ago, when a 19 year old woman lodged a complaint against Dr. Phil, she said he sexually abused her, pulling her into his lap, reaching into her blouse, etc. He was severely disciplined by his licensing board in a number of different ways. · His new company, Courtroom Sciences, CSI, tested the loyalty of his employees by staging calls from people pretending to be from the media. His demands, perfectionism, impatience, infuriated outbursts created an atmosphere of fear, resentment, and anxiety. CSI was a 24/7 job

Read the book before you review it!

I would rate this book as only four stars but I gave it five to make up for some of the ridiculous negative reviews that have been posted about it! If you can't believe that Dr Phil is human and can make mistakes, then DON'T read this book! If you are truly interested in all aspects of his life and can handle reading the truth, then by all means go ahead and buy it. Some reviewers must have been reading a different book to me because I didn't get an anti Dr Phil bias from this book at all. When talking to past patients, only one patient claimed disatisfaction with their therapy, compared to several who claimed that he made a huge difference to their lives. How can that be seen as anti Dr Phil? After finishing this book I still couldn't tell you whether the authors liked or disliked Dr Phil - and that is how a biography should be. I haven't read tabloid reports about Dr Phil so I couldn't tell you how much of this information is new, but overall this is a really readable book and very enjoyable. The criticism that McGraws' previous marriage shouldn't have been included is just pathetic! His first wife was part of his life, part of his past, so why shouldn't she be mentioned? This is a story of Dr Phil from childhood to present day and if you have an interest in Dr Phil or in psychotherapy then I would definitely recommend it.

Fascinating Read

This is a compelling read about how Dr. Phil went from literally nowhere to becoming a world famous shrink with his own TV show. While it does offer some of his self-help advice, it's really his life story, from boyhood to present. The authors offer a very objective look at his eventful life. They also provide a glimpse into how he talked his way into the fame and fortune he enjoys today. I'm really convinced that some of the other reviewers haven't even read the book and are just guessing it's a negative look at Dr. Phil. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it's an overall positive picture of a man who is indeed a very shrewd businessperson. The writing is clear, concise, and quite entertaining. I believe it will be of interest to readers of all types, whether you're a Dr. Phil fan or not.

Five Stars

This is a very entertaining read on one of today's leading celebrities. It tells Dr. Phil's true life story, from his start as a poor boy in Oklahoma, to his first business ventures, on through his college years studying psychology. It then talks about how he transitioned from private practice with his father to the speaking circuit and trial consulting, before being touched by the magic of Oprah and shooting into super-stardom. I found the insights from Dr. Phil, his friends, and family to be most interesting. I had no idea he had accomplished so much and managed to rise from failure so many times. I really think everyone even remotely interested in Dr. Phil will enjoy reading this interesting book.

Quite a businessman

All right: No, I'm not a huge Dr. Phil fan. My wife can't get enough of him though. But as a businessman, I'm amazed at all he has been able to accomplish in such a short time. I really read this book hoping to learn how he was able to build such an incredible empire of books, self-help tapes, seminars, TV show, diet products, and so forth. After reading this book, which was very entertaining, it's clear his success is a mix of intelligence, persistence, and luck. He apparently has been an entrepreneur since childhood, always looking for ways to make money. But he has failed at these endeavours as much as he has succeeded. Although it seems like everything he touches these days turns to gold, that wasn't always the case. So, while I still won't be watching his show, I have come to admire him more as a businessman from reading this book and hope to start using some of his success strategies to grow my own business. It's quite an inspirational read.