Therapy for Children and Teens

I work with children as young as four, on up through the teenage years.

I have been a behavioral interventionist, a case manager for youth with severe emotional disabilities, a child protection social worker, a school counselor, a therapist in a secure residential unit for adolescents, and a foster parent. Very little that a child or teenager brings into the room is new to me.

Sessions with younger children often look like play, drawing, games or moving around, and that is the work, not a warm-up to it. With teenagers it is usually talking, but on their terms and at their speed. Nothing gets pried open on a schedule that isn't theirs.

You are part of the picture too. Sometimes the most useful hour of the week is the one without your child in the room, spent working out what a behavior is actually asking for.

In Oregon, minors aged 14 and older can consent to their own outpatient mental health treatment. That right is in ORS 109.675. It means a teenager can call, schedule, and attend therapy without a parent's permission.

That said, I work with teens and parents in a collaborative relationship to best support the teen. I am not trying to cut parents out. I use my clinical judgment about when involving a parent or guardian makes sense, and there are exceptions when involving a parent would be harmful to the young person.

This is general information, not legal advice. If your family has a specific question about consent, I recommend talking with someone who can advise you on your particular situation.