Atheist Mom Forced Into Court-Ordered Christian Counseling

[happyslug]

77. It is? Courts do this all the time...

Domestic Relations courts ORDER people to go to Counseling sessions all the time. The parties often have to agree to go to such sessions and pay for such sessions. Who they go to is up to the parties. The courts (and most Domestic Relations Lawyers) often have a list of such counselors but the Court will NOT name the counselor until one is selected by the parties. The cheaper ones tend to be religious based.

Thus, I suspect, this woman picked one of the cheapest Counselors and then objected to the counseling. Her option was to request the Court to permit her to name a different counselor, but instead she just refused to go. That is a violation of a Court Order and why she lost her kids for a month. She should have asked the judge to appoint someone else, but when she asked the Judge, the Judge asked her who and she could not name one. Thus the Judge had to kept this counselor as court ordered UNTIL this woman finished the counseling OR hired someone else to do the counseling.

Sorry, this is NOT a separation of Church and State issue but one of a party disliking the idea of going to counseling in the first place. In most cases the party selects the counselor not the Court, the court just orders Counseling. In some cases the other side selects the counselor, but that is in joint counseling situations. In such situation it is often disputed as who to go to for it is common for both sides to what different counselors. In such cases the Judge will decided who the parties will go to.

Thus I suspect we are hearing of a woman who disliked the breakup of her marriage and having to share her children with their father. Counselling for such people (both mothers and fathers) are often court ordered, but who they go to is up to the parties not the courts except when the children or the other sides is involved (and in such joint counseling situations the Courts will only get involved if no agreement can be reached between the parties).