Minor Imposition

Maria’s 14-year-old daughter, Anabel, started having nightmares in the fall of 2020. She had spent the previous summer living with her father who, Maria says, emotionally and physically abused the teenager. As Anabel’s sleep patterns deteriorated further that winter, Maria pleaded with her child to visit a mental health professional to discuss the abuse. Anabel refused. Maria, who asked that her family’s real names be withheld to protect her daughter’s privacy, called psychologists anyway, but none would see Anabel—not without obtaining the minor’s permission first.

In 2019, the Colorado Legislature passed a law aimed at expanding adolescent access to mental health care. Many mental health professionals, however, interpret a portion of that statute to say children must consent before they can be treated, even if their parents believe care is necessary. Anabel could have been admitted to an inpatient facility without her permission if she’d been deemed an imminent threat to herself or others. But the teenager’s symptoms hadn’t escalated