What we will not claim
A teenager's therapy here starts with a parent's consent. That is New York's rule for a private practice.
AI-generated illustration. Not a real office.
New York's rule that lets some minors consent to outpatient mental health care applies to programs licensed or run by the state, not to a private practice. So a parent or guardian books and consents here — and a teenager who needs someone now can call or text 988, without anybody's permission.
What you will see advertised
“Teens can book confidential therapy on their own — no parent needed.”
Quoted in order to be refused: this practice never says it, and the rest of this page says why.
Why a practice says it, and why it misleads
A teenager who reads that therapy can be theirs alone, with no adult involved, may feel it is finally on offer to them. A parent may find the same sentence comforting for a different reason. It is one of the most appealing lines a site can write.
It misleads because the first appointment is not the hard part. A teenager who books on the strength of it, and turns up, can be told that a parent's consent is needed after all, which is worse than being told at the start. The facts above say why the consent matters in a private practice, and a page that skips them sets a young person up for a refusal.
The honest version is also more useful to both sides: an hour that is the teenager's own, a parent who consents and usually joins part of the first session, a short list of things that are never kept secret, explained at the start, and, for a teenager who needs somebody now, a number that asks nobody's permission.
What the law says
As it read in October 2026.
The rule that lets some minors consent to outpatient mental health treatment applies to programs licensed or operated by the state Office of Mental Health, not to a private practice (Mental Hygiene Law § 33.21).
A parent may ask for a minor's records, and a provider may refuse where access would harm its relationship with the young person, who may be told and may object (Public Health Law § 18).
Social workers and other mental health professionals must report a reasonable suspicion that a child they see in their work is abused or maltreated (Social Services Law § 413).
- N.Y. Mental Hygiene Law § 33.21 (opens the source in a new tab) The rule that lets some minors consent to outpatient mental health treatment applies to programs licensed or operated by the state Office of Mental Health, not to a private practice.
- N.Y. Public Health Law § 18 (opens the source in a new tab) A parent may ask for a minor's records, and a provider may refuse where access would harm its relationship with the young person, who may be told and may object.
- N.Y. Social Services Law § 413 (opens the source in a new tab) Social workers and other mental health professionals must report a reasonable suspicion that a child they see in their work is abused or maltreated.
What this practice does
We see teenagers aged 13 to 17. A parent or legal guardian books the first session and consents to treatment, and usually joins part of it. What a teenager says in therapy stays private, with a few exceptions we explain to the family at the start, such as a risk of serious harm.
A teenager can't book here on their own: in a private practice like this one, New York needs a parent's or guardian's consent for treatment. If you're a teenager and you need to talk to someone now, call or text 988 — it's free, it's confidential, and you don't need anybody's permission — or talk to your school counselor.
If you need help now. If you're in danger right now, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24 hours a day; veterans can call 988 and press 1. You can also text HOME to 741741. Our phone and messages are not monitored outside office hours, and this website is not an emergency service.
Keep reading
The other things this site will not claim
Book a free call
Book a free fifteen-minute call, or go straight to a first session if you know what you want. Nothing is paid online, and nothing on the form asks why you're coming.