A Christian therapist accused of trying to drown his older brother and sexually abusing their sisters is trying to reunite sons with their father, sparking controversy in Colorado.
The children’s mother, Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins, accused the therapist—Christine “Chris” Bassett, a licensed marriage and family therapist with Lighthouse Christian Counseling—of abusing the sons in therapy. According to the Denver Gazette, Pickrell-Hawkins is refusing to cooperate with court-ordered treatment.
A judge initially sentenced Pickrel-Hawkins to seven weeks in jail for contempt for her opposition to so-called “reintegration therapy.” The mother served two weekends at the jail.
But after loud, public outcry, the judge suspended the remainder of her sentence at a hearing on Thursday, the Gazette reported. He also stopped reunification therapy until the father’s criminal case was resolved.
Reunification therapy is designed to restore the relationship between an estranged parent and child, often during divorce proceedings. In many cases, it operates on the parental alienation theory, which believes that the trusting parent caused the alienation by brainwashing the child.
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Many experts say the theory is bankrupt. In addition, research has found that reunification therapy harms children in families with domestic abuse. The researchers wrote that therapy can be used to help children engage with fearful abusers.
After news broke of Pickrel-Hawkins’ jailing, dozens of lawmakers and members of the public gathered at the Colorado Supreme Court building, demanding intervention from the state’s highest court. Fundraising for her legal expenses totaled more than $80,000.
The Gazette’s executive editor, who broke the news, wrote that the article about the controversy “caused more outrage than any story I’ve ever seen”.
On July 29, authorities arrested Hawkins on charges of raping his daughter, repeatedly sexually assaulting that daughter and two adopted daughters, and attempting to drown a now-adult son. The abuse reportedly spanned nearly two decades.
An attorney for Hawkins did not respond Royce Report (TRR) Reached for comment. He has previously denied the allegations, which come after a two-year investigation, the Gazette reported. Hawkins, a retired Aurora police sergeant, is seeking sole custody of his younger sons.
The dispute over the boys’ treatment comes amid growing scrutiny of Colorado’s family court system. As previously reported by ProPublica, it found that county custody assessors charged with domestic violence, among other things, were still advising courts on domestic violence and child abuse cases.
After ProPublica’s revelations, the state barred courts from ordering “reunification camps” where an estranged parent and child go for weeks and the child is not allowed to contact the estranged parent.
The Legislature behind the law blamed the courts for failing to reform and enforce the ban, the Gazette’s executive editor wrote. And the controversial theory of parental alienation still litigates Colorado family courts.
Hawkins’ attorney has tried to discredit Pickrell-Hawkins in court filings, calling her “very manipulative” and saying the allegations are baseless, according to the Gazette report.
That’s despite earlier findings by the state’s child protection agency that Hawkins sexually assaulted the daughter and physically abused the son.
Meanwhile, Pickrel-Hawkins has stated that the two boys were experiencing “major anxiety” and that PTSD symptoms worsened after therapy sessions with Bassett.
An attorney filed a complaint with Child Protective Services against Bassett, alleging abuse and coercive control, according to the Gazette. said a representative of Larimer County’s Department of Human Services, which handles child welfare complaints TRR The department is unable to confirm or deny any allegation.
Attorneys for Pickrel-Hawkins did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. Neither did Bassett’s office.
Mother accuses Bassett of abuse
In interviews with the Gazette, Pickrel-Hawkins claims Bassett’s methods are abusive and misleading.
Pickrel-Hawkins said she told Bassett about the criminal charges of child sexual abuse and child abuse against Hawkins. But that same day, Pickrel-Hawkins told the Gazette that Bassett told one of the boys that he needed to forgive his father.
During a session on June 25, four days before their father was arrested, the mother reported that one of the two boys was curled up in a fetal position on the floor of Bassett’s office. Bassett reportedly told the boy’s mother to stop talking about what was going on with the boy.
The child welfare complaint alleges that Bassett roughly grabbed one of the boys’ hands and squeezed it, and that she did not provide water to the boys until she provided water to Hawkins, who attended the session. The complaint also states that Bassett forbade the sons from receiving watches during the session.
Bassett has focused on the Family Christian Counselor Network for years, a database of licensed counselors the organization believes are “Christian therapists who counsel from a biblical perspective.”
Her Lighthouse Christian Counseling prides itself on helping people “navigate life’s challenges within the context of your faith.” Bassett’s profile says she attends Vintage City Church, a local non-denominational church.
Bassett was subject to disciplinary action by the Colorado Board of Licensing in 2021 for violating therapeutic ethics, records show. Only 42 of Colorado’s 1,929 licensed marriage and family therapists have reported disciplinary cases, according to a list by Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, Professions and Professions.
On Thursday, Pickrell-Hawkins’ attorney accused Bassett in court of falsely convincing another mother that the father of her children was a safe co-parent. If so, the father killed the children aged 8 and 6 before committing suicide in December 2022, according to the Gazette.
The judge reportedly asked Bassett on Thursday whether she had “misjudged the defense of a parent.” Her answer: “I’m sure it happened a lot.”
Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas.
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