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PROVO — A Utah family therapist sentenced to prison Wednesday for a sex crime against a 14-year-old girl still has a license to practice social work.
The Department of Professional Licensing told KSL it will now seek to have Kayla Kehaunani Atkin voluntarily surrender her license, which has remained active for more than a year after she was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
"Should she not agree to surrender, then we take agency action to revoke," department spokeswoman Melanie Hall said Thursday.
Atkin, who owns Sunset Therapy Services in Draper, was charged with three counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, in July of 2022. The charges stemmed from abuse that occurred in 2014 when Atkin was the assistant coach of a traveling softball team. In April, as part of a deal with prosecutors, Atkin pleaded guilty to one count of attempted object rape, a first-degree felony.
She was sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in jail – a sentence the victim, prosecutors and even the judge say was too lenient.
A website and Facebook page for Sunset Therapy Services were taken offline Thursday, the day after Atkin was sentenced. Her profile remains active on Monarch.com, an online service connecting patients with therapists nationwide. She was ordered to report to jail on Saturday.
Attempted object rape, a first-degree felony, carries a potential sentence of three years to life in prison. However, prosecutors recommended no prison time as part of the plea deal, instead agreeing to a six-month jail sentence that Atkin would be allowed to serve on weekends.
Fourth District Judge Robert Lunnen bound himself to the agreement in April, but in court Wednesday said, "In my mind this was inappropriate now that I know the whole facts of the case."
A change in prosecutors earlier this year brought deputy Utah County attorney Julia Thomas onto the case after the plea deal was reached with the defense. In court, Thomas told the judge the victim in the case had agreed with the deal but "was not happy about it."
Atkin and the victim would share a hotel bed during tournaments. The victim said Atkin talked with her about marriage and told her she loved her.
Lunnen sentenced Atkin to a term of 15 years to life in prison for the charge, but suspended that sentence in favor of the 180-day jail sentence as part of the plea deal, and ordered her to be on probation for 10 years.
Conditions of that probation will prohibit her from having any contact with minors, a point Lunnen drove home with an impassioned statement to Atkin.
"I'm telling you now, if you violate any condition of your probation I will send you to prison for 15 to life. This statement that this was a light deal is right. It was."
