In Ohio, a recently proposed bill, House Bill 172 (sponsored by Johnathan Newman, R-Troy), would require parental approval for minors seeking temporary or emergency mental-health services. According to the news article from News 5 Cleveland, the legislation would repeal the current law that allows teens age 14 and older to access certain crisis counselling without parental consent.
On its face, the idea of parents being “in the loop” may feel intuitively protective. But for adolescent survivors of sexual abuse, especially those who are abused by a parent or caregiver, requiring permission to access mental-health support can become a gatekeeper. This requirement locks them out. As I’ve long advocated in victim-rights and trauma-healing work, we must disrupt barriers to care, not erect them.
Advocates are Worried
Violence-prevention advocates in Ohio are worried the bill would force teens who have been sexually abused to get parental consent for emergency and temporary mental-health services.
The current law allows a 14-year-old and older to access up to six weeks of counselling under the crisis program without parental/guardian consent. Emily Gemar of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence says many abuse victims know their perpetrator, often a caregiver/parent.
“If a 14-year-old is being raped by a parent, they would have to ask the parent who is raping them for consent…”
Why Parental-Consent Requirements Create a Chilling Effect
From my work supporting survivors, especially youth, the requirement of parental consent for mental-health treatment introduces layers of risk, shame, and silence. Here are the mechanisms of that chilling effect:
a) Risk of harm from the parent/caregiver
- When the perpetrator is a parent, legal guardian or someone in the household, requiring parental consent places the victim in a direct conflict. They must ask the abuser for access or forgo help. The article gives this example.
- Fear of retribution, further abuse, or being disbelieved silences many. Reporting rates for child sexual abuse are already astoundingly low.
- A parent-consent rule may become a boundary. It requires access only with permission of the person they are afraid of or who is responsible for their abuse.
b) Shame, secrecy and trust-building
- Survivors often need time to build trust with a counselor or crisis worker before disclosing. The article frames that process: “It takes some time to build trust with that counselor… to allow for a setting where somebody feels like they can disclose what’s happened.”
- The moment of seeking help can be fragile. Requiring parental involvement adds a hurdle, substitutes a different authority figure (parent) perhaps not trusted, and delays access.
- The sooner trauma is addressed, the better the prognosis. But if the help is blocked or delayed, trauma symptoms (PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation) intensify.
c) Confidentiality and adolescent autonomy
- Many crisis programs for minors allow confidential access precisely because adolescents may not feel safe involving parents. Policies that require consent undermine confidentiality and autonomy.
- The message to a teen might become: You’re not trusted to make this decision unless your parent approves. That lessens the sense of empowerment.
- The chilling effect may mean: “I’ll wait until I’m 18,” or “I’ll just hide it,” or worse no help at all.
d) The justice and reporting cascade
- Mental-health support often intersects with reporting. A safe therapeutic space can serve as part of disclosure, healing and even a pathway toward legal redress. If that path is blocked, the justice system is also compromised.
- The article warns of a scenario where requiring consent means fewer disclosures, fewer supports, and fewer investigations.
In short, requiring parental consent in the context of sexual-abuse trauma is not a mere procedural step. It can shut the door on treatment, prolong unaddressed trauma, and deepen risk.
Free & Confidential Therapy & Support Resources for Survivors
Because the stakes are so high, survivors, especially youth, need fast access to confidential, trauma-informed support. Below are key resources and what they offer.
National & 24/7 Help
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): via the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) and online chat — free, live, confidential.
- You don’t need to give your name or location; anonymity is respected.
- For minors: the hotline is trained to meet youth. If location or identity is shared, reporting laws may apply, but the caller remains in control.
- The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 13-24) including chat & text.
- State/local sexual-violence coalitions: e.g., the article lists the statewide Ohio sexual-violence helpline (1-844-OHIO-HELP / 1-844-644-6435) and the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
Programs for Child/Adolescent Survivors
- The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides a list of confidential helplines and resources for child sexual abuse survivors.
- Local rape-crisis centers: For example, the WOAR – Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence offers free, confidential support for children, teens, adults, and LGBTQIA+ survivors.
- Many regional centers provide free individual and group counseling (children & adults) who have experienced sexual abuse. Example: ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania lists free sexual-abuse counseling for children and adults.
Free / Confidential Online Peer-Support Resources
- Pandora’s Project: Free peer support forums for survivors (teens, adults, LGBTQ+, male survivors)
- Resource lists from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) include online chat rooms, forums and moderated groups for survivors.
Why These Matter
- These services do not require parental consent to connect initially (depending on age and state law). This enables a door to open for teens who feel unsafe accessing help through parents.
- Free of charge, lowering economic barriers.
- Confidential, promoting trust and safety, especially for trauma survivors.
- Trauma-informed care. The research shows survivors of sexual assault have higher risks of PTSD, suicidality, depression. Untreated trauma leads to worse outcomes.
Recommendations & Call to Action
Given the chilling effect of parental-consent laws for minors in mental-health emergencies, here are recommendations for various stakeholders.
Legislators & Policymakers
- Recognize that one-size-fits-all parental consent rules fail survivors who are abused by caregivers.
- Enact statutes that allow minors to access emergency mental-health services without parental consent when abuse, exploitation or caregiver-perpetration is involved.
- Ensure crisis programs remain intact or strengthened. This can allow 14+ year-olds to get six weeks of temporary counselling without parent approval.
- Mandate that mental-health and sexual-violence crisis programs be youth-friendly, trauma-informed and accessible without parental barriers.
Service Providers & Advocates
- Promote awareness of the free, confidential resources above. Make them visible in schools, community centres, and youth programs.
- Develop “safe disclosure pathways” for youth. Teach them that there are options that don’t require parental permission if their situation is unsafe.
- Partner with school counsellors, Title IX officers, RA’s and campus services (if college age). This collaboration ensures minors know they can access help.
- Monitor state laws: some states may change consent thresholds; remain vigilant to ensure survivors aren’t shut out.
Parents, Caregivers & Educators
- Understand that if a teen is seeking help, the assumption shouldn’t always be “parent knows best.” Sometimes they can’t safely go through a parent.
- Foster open communication: tell young people you believe them, you support them, and they can seek help.
- Educate about confidentiality: explain the difference between mandatory reporting (for abuse) vs. seeking help for trauma/mental-health.
Survivors
- Know you are not alone. You can access help even if a parent is unsafe or unknown.
- Use hotlines and confidential services above as first steps.
- Keep your safety in mind: help should feel safe, private, and trauma-informed.
- If you ever feel unsafe, call 911. But for trauma support, you have trusted options.
When a policy says “you must get parental consent” for a minor’s mental-health emergency, that rule is not just bureaucratic. For survivors of sexual abuse those abused by a guardian or in a dangerous home situation, it’s a gate that may lock them out of healing. The Ohio article described how requiring consent could “close a door” for teens who desperately need help.
My message, in the voice of a survivor advocate, is this: We must expand access, preserve confidential entry points, and honour youth autonomy in trauma-healing. Free, confidential resources already exist. Let’s continue to build the systems so no young person says, “I couldn’t ask for help because I needed permission.”