Adolescent Counseling

 A trusting relationship between a therapist and teen client is one of the most important factors for success.  Because of this, Empowering Families emphasizes the adolescent's right to share information confidentially and without judgement.  

As long as the teen's behaviors are not immediately dangerous, the therapist will not share session content with parents, guardians, teachers, or others.  We recognize that this requires a high level of trust from parents as well.  When important information arises, the teen and therapist will discuss when, where, and how to share it with the adults or others in their lives. 

 Legally, there are 4 reasons that a therapist must share information with a parent, guardian, or the appropriate authorities:

• Someone has physically hurt them (abuse)
• They have seriously harmed themselves or have plans to harm themselves (self-harm, suicidal intent)
• They have, or plan to, hurt someone else (abuse)
• The therapist is court ordered by a judge to share documents or to testify in court

Even in these situations, your therapist will prioritize confidentiality as much as possible.