# Dr. Brothers: Unqualified? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616 "2003-03-02T18:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/1 "2003-03-02T18:48:54Z")
Does anyone on this board know if Dr. Joyce Brothers has a license to practice psychology? I’ve never seen evidence that she holds any sort of private practice. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/2 "2003-03-02T18:55:46Z")
Well, she got her Ph.D from Columbia University and holds a valid license in the State of New York to practice psychology. I don’t know why having an active private practice is necessary to stay qualified; granted its helpful, but as long as she stays current with the literature in the field and gets the continuing education required to maintain her license, I’d say her advice is far more likely to be valid than that of someone without certification or work in the field they talk about. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/3 "2003-03-02T19:02:22Z")
Thank you. What I was looking for was evidence that she held a license. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/4 "2003-03-02T21:50:03Z")
[http://www.op.nysed.gov/psychbroch.htm](http://www.op.nysed.gov/psychbroch.htm) > [@](#): > > Verifying a New York license: > > New York psychologists must display a current New York registration certificate; this certificate lists the professional’s name, address, and dates of the registration period. Licensed psychologists must reregister every three years to practice in New York. Some professionals also display their original New York license, diploma, licenses from other states, and membership certificates. You may verify an individual’s license and registration on this site… …[follow link, spend 1.5 seconds typing in “brothers joyce” and clicking on “psychologist”]… [http://www.nysed.gov/coms/op001/opscr2?profcd=68&plicno=000475](http://www.nysed.gov/coms/op001/opscr2?profcd=68&plicno=000475) > [@](#): > > Name : BROTHERS JOYCE DIANE > Address : FORT LEE NJ > Profession : PSYCHOLOGY > License No: 000475 > Date of Licensure : 01/30/58 > Additional Qualification : Not applicable in this profession > Status : REGISTERED > Registered through last day of : 09/03 There ya go. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/5 "2003-03-02T23:02:42Z")
But I’d just throw in that Dr. Joyce won a big game show prize back in the 50s. The subject: Boxing! I think I read that that one of the people supplying the questions had written a book on boxing history, and she boned up with that book ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/6 "2003-03-03T04:07:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Governor Quinn \* > \*\* Dr. Brothers: Unqualified? > Does anyone on this board know if Dr. Joyce Brothers has a license to practice psychology? I’ve never seen evidence that she holds any sort of private practice. \*\* Well, not to be nitpicky, but what exactly are you asking if she is qualified for? If you are asking if she’s qualified to be a practicing psychologist, then certainly a license, etc. is required. But why would you care whether or not she’s qualified to practice psychology? You are not looking for as private practitioner to seek treatment from. You hear Dr. laura ON THE RADIO! She is not “practicing psychology,” she is a radio talk show host, giving advice to people calling in. She is certainly qualified to be a talk show host, as she can speak, and answer the phone, and push the appropriate buttons. She does not neede to be a licensed psychologist to be qualified to give advice on a talk show. Neither Anne Landers nor Dear Abby had any kind of psychology or counciling degree, I belive, yet no one questions their advice. Personally, I have heard Dr. Laura on the radio on occaision. I do not agree with some of her beliefs, and enjoyed listening to various scandals that seem to indicate she is a hypocrite. That being said, being a hypocrite does not diminish the fact that for the most part, her advice to people is sound, and I agree with most of it. She gets decent ratings, and has a successful syndicated talk show. By definition, that means she is qualified. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/7 "2003-03-03T05:13:59Z")
Richard, you might be confusing L. with J. ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/8 "2003-03-03T11:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muffin \* > \*\*Richard, you might be confusing L. with J. \*\* Boy, do I feel like a dope! :smack: Maybe it was a low blood sugar thing… I guess I just got the idea in my head that the OP was about Dr. Laura (hearing her briefly on the radio today was probably a factor) and once that “fact” lodged in my thick skull, all evidence to the contrary in every other post was ignored. Geez, I knew Dr. Brothers was on “The $64,000 Question” with the boxing topic. I apologize to anyone who was ever fooled into thinking I had any intelligence or common sense. To quote Emily Latella: **Nevermind!** ---
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-brothers-unqualified/158616/9 "2003-03-03T11:18:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muffin \* > \*\*Richard, you might be confusing L. with J. \*\* Boy, do I feel like a dope! :smack: Maybe it was a low blood sugar thing… I guess I just got the idea in my head that the OP was about Dr. Laura (hearing her briefly on the radio today was probably a factor) and once that “fact” lodged in my thick skull, all evidence to the contrary in every other post was ignored. Geez, I knew Dr. Brothers was on “The $64,000 Question” with the boxing topic. I apologize to anyone who was ever fooled into thinking I had any intelligence or common sense. To quote Emily Latella: **Nevermind!**