Daniel Durward StaatsMelissa Beavers was desperate 11 years ago.
The police had found methamphetamine on her, and the state took away her three children. She was broke. And to get her kids back, Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) demanded she complete a list of objectives within 18 months.
Among her orders? Attend counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, the lingering effects of sexual abuse. Counseling seemed like a luxury for rich people, but her DFCS case worker referred her to a man who let clients pay whatever they felt comfortable. That’s how she met Daniel Staats.
Almost immediately, Beavers felt uncomfortable. At the time, she said, Staats was practicing out of a house in Chatsworth, Ga. The house was a mess, and they met in a room in the back – a converted bedroom, she figured.
Beavers said Staats quickly launched into the whole matter of sexual abuse. She said he pressed her for details. What exactly happened to you? How, precisely, did you feel as it was happening? He didn’t ask about the emotions she felt as a result. He didn’t seem to want to connect any dots between the abuse and her current behavior.