Marriage, Family & Child Counseling Services

My relationship with my daughter has been severely damaged possibly to the point of ending it permanently. My ex-wife who is the custodial parent told me she was going to find a therapist to help our child better deal with anxiety she had been experiencing. After five sessions and approximately two months later in this "therapy" I'm told by my ex-wife that my daughter is too fearful of me to continue our weekend visitations and that family court will be involved. I eventually requested my child's mental health record from Dr. Hiatt and quickly discovered where and why this extreme "fear" of me developed. Before the end of even their first session Dr. Hiatt had proclaimed me as the cause of my daughters anxiety. Over the course of four sessions Dr. Hiatt focuses on me alone as the problem and no other possibilities are considered. After the fourth session Dr. Hiatt so graciously ask my ex-wife if he could write an affidavit on behalf of my daughter. He does so and recommends that my visitation with my daughter be terminated. It is not within his scope of practice to act in a forensic capacity. Instead of giving her the tools needed to better deal with her anxiety he alienated my daughter from me. This incompetence in nothing short of malpractice and child abuse. There is a distinct difference between a mental health professional acting in a forensic role and a therapeutic role. I suggest that any divorced parents considering therapy for their children educate themselves on what is generally called parental alienation. It's pathetic that in my case a mental health professional caused the alienation. Keep your children away rom this huckster.

After our daughter had completed her fifth session with Dr. Hiatt my wife informed me that she was stopping my visitation, hiring an attorney and accusing me of the emotional abuse of my daughter. Dr. Hiatt wrote an affidavit recommending that my visitation be temporarily stopped without ever even speaking to me. By the end of their first session Dr. Hiatt has already determined that I was the problem and needed to be "brought in". His therapy notes show that they discuss my alleged emotional abuse, mistakes and failings session after session. Dr. Hiatt never encouraged her to tell of the good things I had done or any mistakes that her mom had made. With each subsequent session my child's anger for me increases and she starts to show polarized (all negative) thinking about me. Dr. Hiatt has absolutely no forensic training. His conclusions were formed by nothing other naive intuition. Divorced parents be on guard if you learn that your former spouse intends to have your child receive mental health care. My ex found a therapist who practiced outside his scope of competence, made unethical recommendations about access, mixed forensic and clinical roles and aligned with my ex against me and alienate me from my child. It's been over seven months and my daughter still refuses any communication and contact. This is serious business please do your own research if doubt my review. You owe it to your child.