A woman has sued the Cascade Center, a private mental health treatment center in Orem, claiming Cascade and its employees damaged her emotionally, psychologically and physically through "their unique brand of coercive restraint, trauma-based holding therapy and re-birthing technique."
Cheryl Denise Ely Haws alleges in the civil suit filed in 4th District Court on Monday that after she sought help for depression and marital counseling from 1998 through 2000, center employees physically restrained her in painful holding therapy sessions that caused her to be nauseated, bruised and lose consciousness.
Attorneys for the Cascade Center, for therapists Lawrence Lee VanBloem and Jennie Murdock Gwilliam and for employee Kerry Max Park were unavailable for comment Monday evening.
"Holding therapy" has been described as physically restraining a person and then having the therapist do such things as press fists, fingers or elbows into different parts of the person's body to induce rage, which is an effort to make the individual verbalize deep-seated feelings and release anger.
"Re-birthing" has been described as wrapping an individual in sheets or blankets, then having one or more adults restrain or sit on the person, who is supposed to wiggle out.
Supporters claim these alternative therapy techniques are helpful, particularly for children with attachment disorder who cannot form appropriate bonds with caretakers.
But these techniques have been denounced as child abuse in some quarters and are not supported by any professional psychiatric, medical or scientific organization. Colorado banned re-birthing therapy after a 10-year-old girl died during a session and the two therapists were sent to prison.
The Utah State Legislature debated bills regarding holding therapy during its 2003 session but did not take action. One legislator vowed to reintroduce a bill banning it next year.
Haws alleges in the suit that during various times in 100 sessions she was led to believe she was homosexual, had been the victim of ritualistic, satanic sexual abuse as a child, that she needed to renounce her religious beliefs, and that it was "essential for her to continue her treatment at Cascade only."
The lawsuit also contends that during one session a Cascade therapist revealed confidential information about Haws to a third person that Haws was instructed to bring to a session for support, an alleged violation of professional ethics.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and claims the treatment sessions at Cascade made Haws suicidal and broke up her 20-year marriage.
The suit also alleges that Cascade therapist VanBloem performed holding therapy on one of Haw's children without her consent, which allegedly traumatized the child.
The court document also claims Cascade therapist Gwilliam recommended that Haws use such disciplinary measures on her seven children as physical restraint and a rule that they had to obey or drink a large glass of water.
In a separate case in 4th District Court, Richard and Jennett Killpack are charged with first-degree felony murder for allegedly tying the hands of their 4-year-old adopted daughter and forcing her to drink so much water that she died. The Killpacks have said they were acting on the advice of the Cascade Center.
However, VanBloem has stated that such advice was never given to the Killpacks and has insisted that therapists at Cascade do not tell parents to conduct holding therapy at home.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com