A note for teens and their parents...
Adolescence can be a confusing time. How a person learns to cope with overwhelming or bad feelings as a teenager can set the tone for a long-term pattern that can be hard to change once established. Teens often have intense feelings that they haven't learned how to cope with yet. If you don't think you (or your teen) are coping well with the stress or emotional pain in life, it might be time to get some support to find some new ways to deal...
Earning the trust of a young person is (and should be) hard work. Often teens feel it is impossible for adults to understand what they are feeling and it takes a lot for them to be convinced otherwise. As such, I believe proving that I am trustworthy and will work hard to "get" where they are coming from is my first task in working with teens. To aid in this process, I usually meet with teenagers without their parents/guardians present (unless the teen prefers otherwise), and maintain clear and firm boundaries to keep the content of their therapy private and confidential. That being said, often one of the goals of therapy for adolescents is to improve communication with their parents, and I encourage my adolescent clients to do so when safe and appropriate.
In the State of Washington, anyone over the age of 13 has the legal right to consent to psychotherapy without the permission of their parent/legal guardian. They are granted the same rights to confidentiality as adults. As a consequence, parents/legal guardians do not have access to the content of their child's therapy experiences.
Issues such as suicidal thinking/behavior, self-harm behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, disordered eating, and sexual behavior, etc. are often a focus of therapy with adolescent clients, and when possible and appropriate I will attempt to (with client permission) inform the parents/legal guardians of these circumstances, and/or encourage the teen to do so themself. I know it is scary for parents to feel "out of the loop" with these issues, and I take them very seriously. Please feel free to contact me if you have concerns about your child. I will inform your child that you contacted me. I may not be able to give you any information, but I welcome your input.
I am legally required to break confidentiality if I believe that any client (adolescent or adult) is at imminent risk to harm him/herself or someone else. Please see my Information and Disclosure Statement for teens for more detailed information about exceptions to confidentiality (click 'Forms' above).
Earning the trust of a young person is (and should be) hard work. Often teens feel it is impossible for adults to understand what they are feeling and it takes a lot for them to be convinced otherwise. As such, I believe proving that I am trustworthy and will work hard to "get" where they are coming from is my first task in working with teens. To aid in this process, I usually meet with teenagers without their parents/guardians present (unless the teen prefers otherwise), and maintain clear and firm boundaries to keep the content of their therapy private and confidential. That being said, often one of the goals of therapy for adolescents is to improve communication with their parents, and I encourage my adolescent clients to do so when safe and appropriate.
In the State of Washington, anyone over the age of 13 has the legal right to consent to psychotherapy without the permission of their parent/legal guardian. They are granted the same rights to confidentiality as adults. As a consequence, parents/legal guardians do not have access to the content of their child's therapy experiences.
Issues such as suicidal thinking/behavior, self-harm behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, disordered eating, and sexual behavior, etc. are often a focus of therapy with adolescent clients, and when possible and appropriate I will attempt to (with client permission) inform the parents/legal guardians of these circumstances, and/or encourage the teen to do so themself. I know it is scary for parents to feel "out of the loop" with these issues, and I take them very seriously. Please feel free to contact me if you have concerns about your child. I will inform your child that you contacted me. I may not be able to give you any information, but I welcome your input.
I am legally required to break confidentiality if I believe that any client (adolescent or adult) is at imminent risk to harm him/herself or someone else. Please see my Information and Disclosure Statement for teens for more detailed information about exceptions to confidentiality (click 'Forms' above).
