A Christian therapist is trying to reunite a son with his father, who is accused of trying to drown his brother and sexually abusing his sister, sparking a major controversy in Colorado.
The child’s mother, Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins, accused the therapist—Christine “Chris” Bassett, married and a licensed family therapist with Lighthouse Christian Counseling—of abusing her son in therapy. And Pickrel-Hawkins refused to cooperate with court-ordered therapy, according to the Denver Gazette.
For her opposition to the so-called “reunification therapy,” the judge initially sentenced Pickrel-Hawkins to seven weekends in prison for contempt. His mother served two weekends in jail.
But after public protests, the judge suspended the remainder of his sentence during Thursday’s hearing, the Gazette reported. He also stopped reunification therapy until his father’s criminal case was resolved.
Reunification therapy is designed to repair the relationship between parents and children who have become estranged, often during the divorce process. In many cases, it operates on the theory of parental alienation, which holds that the mother is believed to cause estrangement by brainwashing the child.
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Most experts say the theory is bunk. Additionally, research has found that reunification therapy harms children in families where domestic abuse occurs. Abusers may use therapy to force fearful children into contact, the researchers wrote.
After the news broke about Pickrel-Hawkins’ prison, members of parliament and dozens of members of the public gathered at the Colorado Supreme Court building, seeking intervention from the country’s highest court. Fundraising for his legal fees raised more than $80,000.
The executive editor of the Gazette, which broke the news, wrote that the article about the controversy “sparked more anger than I’ve ever seen a story generate.”
On July 29, the authorities arrested Hawkins on the accusation that he raped his daughter, then sexually assaulted the daughter and two adopted daughters, and tried to drown the son, who is now an adult. The alleged abuse has been reported for nearly two decades.
Attorneys for Hawkins did not respond when Roys Report (TRR) reached out for comment. He previously denied the allegations, which came after a two-year investigation, the Gazette reported. Hawkins, a retired Aurora police sergeant, is seeking sole custody of her sons.
The dispute over the boy’s treatment comes amid scrutiny of Colorado’s family court system. Previous reporting by ProPublica found that, among other things, custody evaluators in states accused of domestic violence still advise courts in cases involving alleged domestic violence and child abuse.
After ProPublica’s revelations, the state barred courts from ordering “reunification camps,” where estranged mothers and children disappear for weeks, and the children are not allowed to contact their trusted parents.
Lawmakers behind the law blamed the courts for failing to amend and follow the ban, the Gazette’s executive editor wrote. And the disputed theory of parental alienation still pervades Colorado family court cases.
Hawkins’ attorneys have tried to discredit Pickrel-Hawkins in court filings, calling her “extremely manipulative” and saying her allegations are without evidence, according to the Gazette report.
That is despite the previous findings of the county’s child protective agency, which reportedly confirmed the sexual abuse of Hawkins’s daughter and physical abuse of the son.
Meanwhile, Pickrel-Hawkins admitted the two boys experienced “major anxiety” and worsening PTSD symptoms after therapy sessions with Bassett, the News reported.
Attorneys filed a complaint with child protective services against Bassett, alleging abusive and coercive control, according to the Gazette. A representative of Larimer County’s human services department, which handles child welfare complaints, told TRR that the department cannot confirm or deny any allegations.
An attorney for Pickrel-Hawkins did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. Not Bassett’s office.
The mother accused Bassett of abuse
In an interview with the Gazette, Pickrel-Hawkins said Bassett’s methods were crude and misguided.
Pickrel-Hawkins said she told Bassett about the criminal charges of child sexual assault and child abuse against Hawkins. But that same day, Bassett told one of the boys that he needed to forgive his father, Pickrel-Hawkins told the Gazette.
His mother also reported that one of the two boys was found curled in the fetal position on the ground in Bassett’s office during the session on June 25, four days before his father was arrested. Bassett reportedly told the boy’s mother to stop talking about what happened with the boy.
The child welfare complaint reported alleges that Bassett grabbed a boy’s arm roughly and squeezed it and that she withheld water from the boy until they provided water to Hawkins, who also attended the session. The complaint also alleges that Bassett prohibited her son from having a watch for the duration of the session.
Bassett has for many years been a Focus on the Family Christian Counselor Network, a database of licensed counselors the organization believes “are Christian therapists who will counsel from a biblical perspective.”
His practice, Lighthouse Christian Counseling, prides itself on helping people “navigate life’s challenges within the context of your faith.” Bassett’s profile says he attends Vintage City Church, a nondenominational church in the area.
Bassett is subject to disciplinary action by the Colorado licensing board in 2021 for violating therapeutic ethics, records show. Of the 1,929 marriage and family therapists licensed in Colorado, only 42 have recorded disciplinary cases, according to a list from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations.
On Thursday, Pickrel-Hawkins’ lawyer also accused Bassett in court of falsely convincing another mother that the child’s father was a safe mother. In that case, the father killed the children, aged 8 and 6, before committing suicide in December 2022, the News reported.
The judge Thursday reportedly asked Bassett if he had ever “misjudged a mother’s safety.” The answer: “I’m sure that’s probably happening.”
Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas.
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