Consent and confidentiality

Who gives consent

A parent or legal guardian gives consent for a child. For a teen, the rules depend on the state and the situation. In California a teen's own consent can count in some cases, and a parent is usually involved. I explain how this applies to your family before the first session.

When parents live apart

If parents are separated or divorced, I need the consent of a parent who has legal authority to decide on the child's care. I may ask for the part of a court order that says who that is.

What stays private

What a child or a teen says to me is private, within limits the law sets. With a teen, I tell the teen and the parents at the start what I will share with parents. In general I share how things are going and what the family might try, not the details of what a teen said.

The limits

I must act if someone is at risk of serious harm, if a child or an older adult is being abused, or if a court orders me to share a record. I explain these limits at the first session, to everyone who comes.

What this practice does not do

I do not write custody evaluations, give an opinion on which parent should have a child, or write letters for court. A therapist who sees one family can not be fair to everyone in a dispute, and the court has other people for that.