Do I need parental consent to see a therapist? (im 16)?!


Question:

Do I need parental consent to see a therapist? (im 16)?

Also, is there an option for teens because i know therapists are SO expensive but obviously im on a 20hr/week salary.


Answers:

You are a minor, therefore, no Therapist is going to offer you treatment without Mom and Dad's permission. Mind you, as a minor, you may not enter into a legally binding contract, the first step in the process.

Then there is the issue of paying for your therapy. $90 for ½ hour and $180 for 50 minutes are the norm.

There is an option for teens, however: your school system. Speak to a guidance counselor about your concerns and belief that you need to speak with a therapist. They may be able to provide you with a counselor without further ado.

If you are suffering from emotional disturbance or substance abuse, you are entitled to therapeutic treatment through an Independent Education Program, or whatever IEPs are called now, as emotional disturbance and/or substance abuse disable learning.

Regardless, there's really no way your parents can stay in the dark until you're 18. Fortunately, what you and your therapist discuss is strictly between you and he/she. Only with your express permission can Mom and Dad know, unless it deals with something that puts you or others in immediate danger.

It's rather complicated. For this reason, therapists and therapy should never be perceived as a kind of "amusement" for the bored, or "well off."

Only people with intrusive problems that are impacting their day to day functioning really benefit from such therapy, and then only if they cooperate and work on their issues.

Imagine paying $180 for 50 minutes only to find that you don't like what you're therapist is mirroring back to you and therefore you don't like your therapist. It happens all the time.

We Americans prefer to believe we are above criticism for our actions and that it is always someone else's fault, so you have to approach therapy with the expectation that you may be confronted with the feedback that you're "part of the problem."




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