NEW YORK — Derry Oliver was in fifth grade when she first talked to her mother about seeing a therapist.
She lived in Georgia with her uncle and grandparents, and her mother was in New York looking for a job and an apartment before the family moved. It’s been a tough year. Oliver, now 17, was depressed. A school official brought up the idea of a therapist.
Oliver’s mother, also named Derry Oliver, questioned the school’s evaluation and did not consent to treatment. “She’s so young,” she recalled her mother thinking. She said, “There’s nothing wrong with you. These are growing pains.”
The issue has come to a boil again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Struggling with the isolation of distance learning, young Oliver sought help from his Brooklyn high school. School-based mental health professionals, such as social workers, can provide counseling without parental permission. But in New York, referring a student to more intensive therapy almost always requires parental consent. In Oliver’s case, that led to further conflict.
“It was very emotional for both of us because we understood her frustration and fear,” the younger Oliver recalled. “But at the same time, sometimes it’s best for kids to make this accessible rather than keep it away.”
As schools across the country respond to the youth mental health crisis accelerated by the pandemic, many are facing the difficult legal, ethical, and practical challenges of involving parents in treatment. The issue has become politicized, with some states pushing to streamline access as other conservative politicians propose further restrictions and accuse schools of trying to indoctrinate students and cut parents. want to be.
Differences in attitudes about mental health are nothing new for parents and children, but as young people have become more comfortable talking about mental health openly and treatment has become more readily available, more conflicts have arisen. Schools have invested pandemic relief money in hiring more mental health professionals and in telehealth and online counseling to reach as many students as possible.
“This is the disconnect,” says Chelsea Trout, a social worker at a Brooklyn charter school. “Kids are all on TikTok and on the internet, and they understand and are interested in talking about therapy and that this is something that can potentially help with their mental health, but they’re also interested in hearing about therapy and understanding that this can be something that can help their mental health, but they’re also interested in hearing about therapy and understanding that this can be something that can help with their mental health, but they’re also interested in hearing about therapy and understanding that this is something that can potentially help with their mental health, but they’re also interested in hearing about therapy and understanding that this can be something that can help their mental health. There is no clear agreement.”
Research shows that the need to obtain parental permission can be a major barrier for teens to receive treatment.
Access to treatment can be critical, especially for LGBTQ+ youth. They are significantly more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and their parents may not know or approve of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Jessica Chock Goldman, a social worker at Bard Early College High School in Manhattan, said she’s seeing more mental health problems among teens, in part because they don’t receive early treatment. He said he has seen many cases where the situation becomes more serious.
“Many children will be hospitalized for suicidal ideation and suicidal intent because preventive measures have not materialized,” she says.
The question of when young people can consent to mental health treatment is receiving increasing attention from policymakers. States such as California and Colorado recently lowered the age of consent to treatment to 12 years. But in some states, such as North Carolina, the issue has become embroiled in a larger political debate over parental input over curriculum and the rights of transgender students.
There are also significant obstacles outside the law. Treatment is rarely free, and parents often need support to pay for treatment and file insurance claims.
Teens in New York state can consent to treatment starting at age 16, and there is also a provision that allows treatment to be given to younger children if a doctor determines it is in their best interest. However, there are some caveats. Consent laws apply only to state-licensed outpatient clinics and do not apply to drug prescribing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a partnership with Talkspace, a platform that will provide free online counseling to all teens in the city through a program known as NYC Teenspace. According to the program’s website, no insurance is required, but parental consent is required “except in special circumstances.”
For Oliver and his mother, years of conversations led to some progress, but not as much access to therapy as young Oliver had hoped.
A few years ago, the Olivers agreed to a compromise. They found a Black female therapist, which was important to them both as a Black family. The older Oliver said she was hurt by being called “aggressive” for expressing her normal emotions as a black woman, and she has had negative experiences with therapists and depression medications. She said it made her feel like a “zombie.”
Oliver agreed that her daughter could begin therapy as long as she attended the sessions. But that therapist changed jobs about a month later, and Oliver hasn’t seen another therapist since.
“It has to be someone you can trust,” the elder Oliver said of his daughter’s potential therapist.
Like Oliver, Trout, a school social worker at a Brooklyn charter school, doesn’t trust school recommendations and wonders why her child needs therapy when she’s succeeding academically and socially. He said he has met many parents who have doubts.
“If we’re thinking about primarily black and brown communities, how do we trust them with our children if their interactions with social workers or mental health services or anything in that field have not been positive?” Can I do it?” she said.
Statistics show racial disparities. The center’s research found that in 2021, 14% of white children reported seeing a therapist at some point that year, compared to 9% of Black children and 9% of Hispanic children. 8%, and only 3% were Asian American children. Disease control and prevention.
Unable to access therapy, young Oliver sought advice on managing his emotions through friends, his school social worker, and the internet. But with continued support from experts, she believes much more can be done.
Oliver has already been accepted into a number of universities, making his mother extremely proud and is considering his next year’s career options.
One thing she considers is how much access to provide therapists.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Derry lived in Georgia with his uncle and grandparents, not his brother.
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