TV shrink Dr. Phil McGraw is reportedly being investigated for practicing without a license when he made his notorious visit to Britney Spears in the hospital; a recent apology from him says going there was the right thing to do.

When Phil McGraw visited Britney Spears at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 5, when the troubled singer had a bit of a meltdown and was checked in against her will, he was careful to issue a statement about their tête-à-tête and her condition.

He was naturally laughed at with contempt, which did not and still does not stop him from continuing to embarrass himself. Initial plans of having an episode dedicated to the 26-year-old mother of two, whom he said was “in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention,” were canceled.

He announced the cancellation, explained that Britney’s case “too intense” and cited his concern for her family. He emphasized that his now-much-criticized visit to the hospital had only occurred at the request of Britney’s parents.

The pop singer was released a day and a half later and has since been busy traveling to Mexico with her new paparazzo boyfriend, missing a court hearing and generally being chaotic.

McGraw once again reiterated his worries for Britney on Thursday’s taping of a “Dr. Phil” episode that will appear Monday, making a half-hearted and in fact useless apology about the visit and the statement that followed.

“Was it [the statement] helpful to the situation? Regrettably, no. It was not, and I have to acknowledge that and I do,” he was quoted by USA Today as saying. “I definitely think if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't make any statement at all. Period.”

McGraw’s statement to Entertainment Tonight in early January stressed that Britney “needs to be in treatment, she needs to be in in-patient care for a period of time” and that he himself could not elaborate on her condition.

Ever the trustworthy expert, he also said he “truly” believed “she'll get back to being a good person.”

While trying to impersonate the therapeutical hero, McGraw got himself in a bit of trouble, as a complaint was filed with the California Board of Psychology alleging the TV therapist does not have a license to practice psychology in California (and nevertheless visited Britney in the hospital) and that he violated doctor-patient privilege by discussing her case with the media.

He may get off the hook however, as he argues that he only saw Britney at the request of her family. Unless he charged them for an intervention, this is not a case of practicing psychology.

As MTV.com previously noted, the California Board of Psychology focused on McGraw before, when his TV show debuted in 2002. The board determined that he was not practicing psychology but entertaining his viewers and left him to his own.