"FARMINGTON, Utah — A therapist based in Davis County has been charged with abusing a "vulnerable" woman over a span of several years "under the guise of providing her therapy."
Maurice Wade Harker, 54, was charged Tuesday with aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult and kidnapping — both second-degree felonies.
According to the charging documents, Harker repeatedly abused a client of his between 2012 and 2021. The woman suffered serious injuries throughout this time, and she said she even thought she might die during one of the sessions.
The woman said Harker used aggressive, hands-on and even violent tactics, claiming he had to do so because she was possessed by a demon. The victim had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. She had been abused as a child, court documents stated, and Harker "preyed upon her vulnerabilities."
Prosecutors say Harker's repeated assaults resulted in multiple physical injuries. These included a broken thumb, a knee injury, black eyes from being elbowed by Harker, and neck injuries. She said he would even pin her down and cover her mouth and nose, claiming this would help get rid of her "demon."
The Rolling Stone article states that Harker is "fairly well-known in the [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] community." In 2005, he founded Life Changing Services, a pornography addiction treatment group that appears to be based on LDS principles, but not directly sponsored or supported by the church."
"addiction" In other words, normal sexual desires.
"Sons of Sacrifice, for “men with same sex attractions who want sexual self-mastery”"
Of course, they would have a program like this, although it appears everyone suffers equally there.
"Such recollections, however, are also intermingled with feelings of shame, self-hatred, and even, in some cases, thoughts of suicide as a result of undergoing treatment."
The effects of the program in general.
"About 10 months into the program, however, Matt started to feel an intense sense of self-loathing, which gave way to thoughts of self-harm. “If you’re identifying every little thought that comes into your head as a demonic personal flaw or addiction, you start to hate yourself,” he says. “I thought about suicide at about 10 months in because I was buying into this stuff deeply. You start to believe something is deeply broken with you.”"
"Despite the lack of evidence supporting Harker’s methods, bishops employed by the church regularly referred members to his practice, with Harker specifically including resources for bishops on his website."