Psychologist Dr. Leslie Dobson Rips Bill Maher for Cassie Segment

Bill Maher is ignorant about what abuse victims face, and his recent Cassie commentary makes him look foolish ... so says a prominent forensic psychologist.

We spoke with Dr. Leslie Dobson -- a mental health expert and influencer -- on "TMZ Live" Monday ... and, we asked her about Bill calling out Cassie over the weekend for not leaving Diddy, despite the alleged abuse she faced, because he thinks she wanted stardom.

Dr. Dobson came out firing at the talk show host ... saying Bill doesn't understand the manipulations Cassie had to deal with -- like allegedly agreeing to let a male escort urinate in her mouth to keep her mogul boyfriend happy.

According to Dobson, Cassie was stuck between a rock and a hard place ... choosing the degrading act in fear of the alternative, like physical violence.

The psychologist chalks this up to a generational issue ... calling Bill an "older white man mansplaining with no actual understanding of the cycle of domestic violence." She later adds his whole diatribe makes him "look like an a**hole."

As for claims that the world is far more open and receptive to sexual assault claims since the #MeToo movement began ... Dr. Dobson points to the way Diddy's legal team treated "Mia" on the stand -- Diddy's former assistant who testified against him under a pseudonym -- to prove that old tropes are still used to cut abuse victims down.

Mia revealed why she didn't tell anyone about the alleged abuse during her testimony ... saying she feared Diddy -- and worried that he was searching through her phone and tracking Cassie.

Dr. Dobson analyzes the dream Mia had where Diddy rescued her from R. Kelly -- and, you have to listen to her interpretation of the mogul's role in it.