Kidnapped by The Courts
The family court system in this country is a mess. Parents spend years in court fighting over their kids. In Travis County, moms are sounding the alarm, saying their children are literally being kidnapped by the court because of therapists who practice what critics call junk science… Reunification Therapy. They say children are forcibly taken from the parent they want to be with and placed with the parent they fear, including some who have been accused of molestation.
It is a drastic and, in my view, a barbaric way to solve a custody fight… Rip away a child from the parent they love and force them to go with the parent they often hate.
“Ow you’re hurting me! stop! help! help!” screams Lola.
The haunting screams of an 11-year-old.
“He shoved her in a car and held her down in front of all of her friends and people that she loved,” said Allie Haugh.
“Help! no ow! stop!” yelled Lola.
It looks like a kidnapping caught on camera… but it’s not only legal… it was authorized by judge James Arth in Austin, Texas.
“This is about money, this is about collusion, this is about corruption,” said Beatriz Saldivar.
And it’s happening across the country.
“She said that mom…she said, what is going on? how can anyone do this to me? I’m not a bad kid,” said Allie Haugh.
And believe or not… sometimes they even send the child to the parent they’ve accused of molesting them… what the hell is going.
“What a parental alienation, how reunification therapy, are used as a court tactic. They are designed to delay cases, extend cases, create conflict where none exists. They are designed to create abuse and terror in the family court system,” says Jeff Diamant.
We hear the voices of the children caught in this family court betrayal.
“I felt powerless,” says Ashley Beall.
“You’re kind of in survival mode,” says Abbey Obrien.
“I am so desperate for a voice in this situation,” said Brittany Eichler.
“I felt like I was going to kill myself,” says Nina.
And now one of the Travis County employees you pay to protect these kids is speaking out…. She is quitting her job.
“It’s about the children and they’re being neglected, I mean, they’re being neglected and they’re being bounced around in ways that are unhealthy,” says Dottie Conroy.
Being caught up in a nasty divorce is horrible enough for a child… but what if they are just eight years old and being manipulated by a court approved therapist.
“Lola …age 8, she writes…she twists my words, gets aggressive. Gets up in my face, threatening me, like she says, ‘if you don’t talk to me, you can’t see your mom or your little brothers,” says Peyton Heussner.
Lola was put into reunification therapy after her parents’ divorce.
“I even said to judge Arth, if this will help their relationship, good, because I don’t know what to do,” says Allie Haugh.
Lola was given Amy Eichler as a therapist.
“I hope you realize you may never see your mother again. I will tell the judge. that you need to spend time only with your father,” says Allie Haugh.
“The judge looked at me and said, this has been directed by Ms. Eichler or Dr. Echoer and if you, we find out that you told Lola the plan, you will be reprimanded. You will lose more time,” says Allie Haugh.
Nina Pham was just 12 years old when she started writing things like this in her diary.
“I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I’m thinking of running away and I’m also thinking of cutting myself,” says Peyton Heussner.
Nina was stuck in the middle of a custody battle between her parents in Travis County.
She says shortly after her parents split… it got ugly… fast.
“He snatches my phone and starts like. taking my phone away, he walks into a public library with my phone, screaming at my mom, cussing at her, talking about getting his lawyer on her,” says Nina.
Nina was told to continue therapy with this woman char Wittenberg from Georgetown. Wittenberg claimed Nina was suffering from parental alienation… she was eventually removed from the case.
“The court put my mother in jail, for no reason and it was just because the alienation, which wasn’t true, char, my old therapist, char was spreading lies about that I felt alienated with my mother. I’m like, no, that wasn’t true,” says Nina.
Nina says she tried desperately to speak to judge Arth himself.
“I requested to talk to him, judge Arth, by the way, five separate times, and they denied me to talk to him,” says Nina.
She was forced into reunification therapy with her father for 40 days.
“I had to learn to protect myself for 40 days until I saw my mother again,” said Nina.
Ashley Beall is heartbroken knowing how little the system has changed since she was burned by it over 30 years ago.
“Money, power, control. It’s, I mean, it was there then and it’s just worse now because people are motivated by money more and so they’re willing to be paid off to do things,” says Ashley Beall.
at four years old… her parents separated. a seven-year custody battle followed.
Ashley was given a court-ordered therapist.
“I thought as a child that the therapist was there for me, but I think she was there for my dad,” said Ashley Beall.
“You think it’s fair to say that these children can be used as pawns?” says Peyton Heussner
“One hundred percent. yeah. sad,” said Dottie Conroy.
One employee at Travis County domestic relations office has said… enough is enough.
“I am currently a guardian ad litem with Travis County. However, I am, I’m resigning and taking the job elsewhere.” said Dottie Conroy.
In Travis county a county agency provides guardians ad litem in some custody cases… advocates for the children.
“When I’m assigned a case is to be the eyes, ears, to listen to the child, to be child’s advocate,” said Dottie Conroy.
Dottie did that for ten months.
Just a couple weeks into the job… She felt things were off. Hearing terms she’s never heard before.
“I hate the term parental alienation because I think it’s bullshit science. it shouldn’t be, it shouldn’t even be used. It’s total pseudoscience. researched it to the nth degree and I can’t even stand the words anymore,” said Dottie Conroy
But it was the actions of her colleagues that made her question the integrity of the department.
“They were on the phone with therapists making recommendations against mothers. one in particular and stating that there was never any family violence when I already showed them there was. and then they disregarded it,” said Dottie Conroy.
“I also heard them say before a court hearing that they were going to make a recommendation so difficult that the mother wouldn’t be able to achieve it,” said Dottie Conroy.
But there was one case in particular that stood out to Dottie.
“I was asked to sit in on a hearing, called soto case, and I knew it was an issue with a very suicidal 12-year-old at the time,” said Dottie Conroy.
That child was Olivia Soto. her mom consented to us using this photo…
We can’t confirm what happened in the soto case because the court documents are sealed but Olivia now lives with her dad… Going through court appointed reunification therapy.
“And just hearing her voice. knowing what she’s going through there. has been very challenging,” said Erika Soto
“A kid’s life is serious. and so, I’m going to do whatever I have to do to investigate it to the nth degree if I must make sure that their voices are heard. and I don’t think that it is,” said Dottie Conroy.
A few days later… Dottie says she got called into her boss’s office.
The manager of the domestic relations office in Travis County… Cynthia Gonzalez.
“I looked, I’m like, what? and I said, that’s my job, to talk to the children,” said Dottie Conroy.
“She said Well, I just think you believed the child too much,” said Dottie Conroy.
Meet Abbey O’Brien.
In 2024… A Travis County judge ordered Abbey and her brother Patrick into an intensive reunification therapy program during their parents’ divorce.
“We went to every single one of our custody dates and we never, like anything that was asked of us, we did,” said Abbey O’Brien.
But still—she and her brother were forced into reunification therapy with this woman… Lisa Rothfus.
“She unfortunately did not represent what my brother and I were saying to her,” said Abbey O’Brien.
“A four-day program was followed by a court-ordered period in which she and her brother had only supervised contact with her mom no contact with their mother,” said Abbey O’Brien.
What began as a 55-day separation was extended to 66 days more than two months separation with their mom was later extended to 70 days.
“It really doesn’t matter what you do once adults have an opinion of you. they’re not going to change it,” said Abbey O’Brien.
During sessions with Lisa Rothfus… Abbey says she was told by both her father and the therapist that her mother was abusive… Manipulative… Mentally ill… Dishonest… All things she knew weren’t true.
“That’s really scary when people don’t believe your own experiences, especially when we tried to be as vocal as possible and as honest as possible about how we felt and what was going on,” said Abbey O’Brien.
Abbey believes the therapy was designed to convince children that their memories could not be trusted.
“They showed us one of the videos where they had like unreliable witness statements to try to get my brother and I to admit. that what we were saying, like what we remembered, wasn’t real,” said Abbey O’Brien.
In May of 2025… Abbey publicly testified before the Texas legislature in support of house bill 3515.
Legislation aimed at restricting the most controversial aspects of court-ordered reunification therapy.
“These programs isolate kids from the people they trust, people that will protect them and make sure they’re okay,” said Abbey O’Brien
We tried to get in contact with Lisa Rothfus. she never responded. her husband did. her therapy assistant…
He also says we are being “woefully misled’… That we are trying to garner cliques.
We have heard the screams… Heard their voices… Like this 12-year-old Austin girl.
She what’s to therapist Thao Phan. She recorded much of what she said.
“I want you to help me understand what you expect to be done. Sofia: What I expect to do for me is have my safety. Sofia: That’s all I want, that’s all I want, all I want. to be free of the threat.”
It is painful to listen to.
“He touched me. He got into my bed. he got into my bed!” said Sofia.
What you’re about to hear next should be grounds for losing your license.
“You know, even good parents do and say things that sometimes hurt their child. it happens every day, but you know…you’re not the perfect child either, right?” said Thao Phan.
“My first thought was how grossly incompetent, and that’s abuse. That’s what I thought of her as I listened to her in those meetings,” said Dr. Monday.
Dr. Pamela Monday was put in charge of a team of therapists for this broken family.
“How dare she work with these children and be responsible for listening to their stories and challenging what they’re saying about being abused,” said Dr. Monday.
Monday even filed a complaint with the Texas behavioral health executive council.
“Incompetency and emotional harming of an already traumatized child”
Saying that Thao “must be held accountable”
“I accused of malpractice this is malpractice this is damaging,” said Dr. Monday.
That’s usually a black hole.
More than 19 complaints against one forensic psychologist, Alyssa Sherry, were rejected.
“I feel like some of the things she’s done are criminal,” said Lauren Walker.
Walker eventually walked into lanes of traffic and killed herself.
And Dr. Monday called out the supposedly compassionate Travis County domestic relations office… Accusing them of
“Coercing, threatening, bullying, demanding participation, and refusing to validate the pain of this child”
And Dr. Monday said the same thing to the judge, Jan Soifer.
“I was fighting for that kid, and I stood up to them, and I wanted it on the record,” said Dr. Monday.
What happened to Dr. Monday was then Judge Jan Soifer fired her removed Monday from the case.
Judge Soifer orders a replacement for Dr. Monday… Amy Eichler who runs the Georgetown chapter of turning point for families.
Amy Eichler, was being paid for, paid handsomely by the father to write the reports that the guardian ad litem was relying on to make her report that the judge was relying on,” said Dr. Johnna Jones.
“Usually abused children want to be in the room with their abuser,” said Dr. Johnna Jones.
And before I even started, Amy Eichler and Cynthia Gonzalez, who was the guardian ad litem, met with me to tell me, to *pre-tell me* how crazy this mother was,” said Dr. Johnna Jones.
“And suddenly… this parental alienation claim became like bigger than the sexual molestation claim,” Dr. Johnna Jones.
Convicted felons get time with their children. and my patient had never been convicted of anything, any crime ever,” Dr Johnna Jones.
The little girl spent four days in an intense reunification camp operated by this woman… Linda Gottlieb.
“I named it turning point for families because it was designed to be a new beginning,” Dr. Linda Gottlieb.
“And it is unbelievable to me that Linda Gottlieb makes so much money from people… Of taking a kid who says, I’ve been sexually abused by my father, and putting her on a plane with her dad to spend four nights in a hotel with her father. how terrifying would that be?” Dr. Linda Gottlieb.
“I call it the parental alienation cult, and these are people who strongly believe in this concept. They’re zealots and the problem with it is that it’s not the real thing. it is not a psychological diagnosis,” Dr Johnna Jones.
Take a look at this report from the United Nations called parental alienation a “pseudo-concept”, fake science… and recommended that jurisdictions worldwide cease reunification therapies.
With the passing of house bill 3783, Texas lawmakers tried to slam the brakes on court-ordered reunification therapy tactics. but there’s evidence some Austin judges may be trying to keep the cult alive.
“I believe people like that need to go to prison. They need serious consequences because they’re not competent,” said Dr. Monday.
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