From early 2019 to the middle of 2021, I was counseled by Dr. David Kattenhorn, of Christian…read moreCounseling Associates in Arcadia, CA weekly, either in person or by phone, during the Covid lockdowns. During this time, my psychological issue of co-dependence was greatly exacerbated by Dr. Kattenhorn through excessive communications, that I, in my unstable state initiated. This should have been noted as a boundary violation by Kattenhorn, that would allow me to become conscious of my excessive neediness. Instead, no corrective action was taken by the Dr. himself either to guide me out of codependency or to protect himself from issues of malpractice. By the end, he had embraced a dual relationship with me, as he had become really my only friend. When the Lord told me to part ways with this man, I was so afraid to let him go, that I reasoned with him saying, 'I think that the devil is trying to separate us. Everyone needs a friend'. A session or so later, he told me that I had a 'broken leg' and it was best that I stay in counseling until it was healed. Not helpful for a man like me, needing to learn to stand on his own, by the power of Christ. No real Christian doctrine was ever discussed in our sessions outside of some shallow Bible verse mentions and basic right and wrong discussion making, which by the way, was not backed up by scripture or Biblical wisdom, so in effect held no real weight. At the time, I was also having nightmares almost every night and Kattenhorn's first question to me almost every session would be 'what dreams did you have this past week? Not all my dreams were nightmares but most of them were. I allowed Kattenhorn to be my dream interpreter, a service he gladly took up, misguiding me even further and bringing me closer to shipwreck. All the while, when I would call Kattenhorn for advice after hours, or we were talking during sessions, He would give me direct advice on what to do especially regarding how to attend to my job and how to conduct my business, rather than working to build my character so that I might be able to make my own wise decisions, with more courage and confidence. He acted more like a bad parent than a good 'Christian counselor.' With this mans help, I spiraled out of control in mid 2021, and by the time I cut ties with him, it was too late and I was in the midst of another mental health crisis. It did not help that though he knew my psychiatrist, Carol McCormick, he never attempted to establish a continuum of care with her, so that my medications for bi-polar disorder were never discussed, in either their hindrance or helping of my situation. Instead he mostly just insisted that the devil was just messing with me. Because of Grace, my story has a very happy ending (though there is no real end in sight :) ). This season of my life though, has been fully redeemed. Dr. Dave Kattenhorn, please check your voicemail and send me my medical records so that I can determine how to proceed in deciding how to pursue justice for this client/therapist relationship gone terribly wrong.
One more thing, I believe that Kattenhorn has broken a worldly law of embracing a dual relationship with me, his former client. As a Christian, he should also be aware that he has broken a far more important statute.
God's new covenant with the people of Israel, in the book of Jeremiah states, 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people, no longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.'
Jeremiah 31 33-34
Kattenhorn's direct advice to me and exacerbation of my co-dependence, was more like playing a perverted version of God himself, rather than embracing the role of a spiritual mentor that could have encouraged me in my walk to grow closer to the Father and his Son and thus rely less on human/worldly understanding.
Mr. Kattenhorn, I left you my number as well. Call me to refute, if you wish.
-Daniel White
