I Need Criteria for When a CA Minor Would Be Able to Get Therapy W/o Parental Consent?
Question by Bunny: I need criteria for when a CA minor would be able to get therapy w/o parental consent?
!!!!!!!!PLEASE READ THE WHOLE DESC BEFORE ANSWERING!!!!!
A friend of mine suffers from drug abuse and emotional trauma. I can’t say much more than that, since I want to protect his anonymity. He’s 15.
He and his folks have tried to get him therapy before, but minors are required to get consent from both parents (I think) for psychiatric help in the state of California. His father is a Scientologist. Scientologists believe that psychology is devil’s spawn, apparently, so there went that idea down the drain.
His parents are divorced and his mom is remarried.
Now I’m a little baffled. I see a therapist and I don’t recall needing consent from my mom, who was living in Hawaii at the time I started seeing the therapist. Is it possible for his stepdad to give consent on the form instead of his dad?
What are the criteria under which he could get psychologist’s or psychiatrist’s help without the consent of his father? I believe that he would be able to get by without medication, I think he mostly needs emotional healing.
He’s a strict atheist so he has rejected trying to find pro-bono help through religious institutions such as churches. I think they also offer programs for kids in trouble through LGBT/community centers, but I’m not entirely sure.
We live in the Greater LA Area.
He lives with his mother and stepfather full-time.
Also, he’s homosexual.
Also, he’s atheist. The only reason that his dad being scientologist comes into play at all is that it prevents him from getting his dad’s consent for psychiatric treatment.
Best answer:
Answer by Marsley
The only problem is this religion isolates him from other kids do this religion let him asccoiates with other kids besides scientologists…No matter how much therapy you sent the boy too he is a tennager and let him be a teenager .. Too many parents these days consult doctors with medications is it girl issues shy just let him decide..I ought to know religion does isolates kids from being themselves..
Answer by MarkS
The issue will be custody. The step-father can take him to treatment if he has at least partial custody. If not, his mother will have to do it.
Mental health care is considered a form of medical care: it cannot be done for minors without some parental consent. The mother can sign a consent form and have the step-dad take him.
Although it’s not a good thing, many agencies are not careful about checking consents. They may accept the step-father outright without challenging his custody.
Religious views and sexual orientation should have no impact on his acceptance into treatment. There are community mental health centers in your area that will accept him: the issue will be his current needs chemical vs. counseling etc.
Good luck with this.
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