Parental consent is simply needing your parents or guardians to give their permission before you can work with a Talkspace provider. There are times when this is needed and times when you can get therapy without this permission. The rules differ by state, so it is important to ask your provider if you are unsure or worried about consent.
If your parent/guardian do have to give their permission, we will reach out to them and ask them to confirm that they are OK with you meeting with a Talkspace provider.
It is important for you to know that getting your parents’ or guardians’ permission does not mean they get information about what you and your Talkspace provider talk about. Your parent/guardian will not see your messages with your Talkspace provider. In fact, your Talkspace provider will ask for your permission before talking to your parents or guardians about you. Please note that you do not need parental consent to sign up for Talkspace Go, the self-guided app.
Below, you can find:
- Consent Information for Clients who reside outside of NY State
- Consent Information for Clients who reside within NY State
- Consent Process for Teens Receiving Services from Talkspace
Consent Information for Clients who reside outside of NY State
Talkspace provides services to teens ages 13-17. Each U.S. state has its own laws regarding parental consent and related exemptions. The vast majority of U.S. states require parental/guardian consent for a teen to enter therapy and do not allow providers to share information with a teen client’s parent/guardian without the authorization of the teen, except in cases of crisis or emergency.
Talkspace providers are familiar with the laws and regulations in their respective states. If you have questions about the requirements in your state, please contact privacy@talkspace.com for assistance. For general questions about teen therapy, send us a support request.
Consent Information for Clients who reside within NY State
In New York State, if you're under the age of 18 and want to use Talkspace, you may need your parent or guardian's permission; however, there're situations where you may not need permission:
- If you're legally independent from your parents or guardians (emancipated) OR
- If you're a parent yourself.
- Your parent or guardian isn't available OR
- Involving your parents could be harmful to you OR
- Your parents said no, but you feel that you really need therapy.
Consent Process for Teens Receiving Services from Talkspace
As part of the onboarding process to start therapy with a provider, teen clients will need to provide their parent or legal guardian's contact information, including their first name, last name, and email address. When consent is required, Talkspace will send an email requesting consent from them. If they're not receiving the consent request in their inbox, try checking spam and promotional email folders.
In the email, your parent or legal guardian will be asked to:
- Review their name and relationship to you for accuracy.
- Acknowledge Talkspace's Informed Consent, Notice of Privacy Practices, and Privacy Policy.
- Provide consent for you to receive therapy from Talkspace providers.
To complete the process, the consenting party simply needs to click Submit Consent. If they're unable to submit the form, please try our General Troubleshooting Tips.
For any questions about Talkspace privacy policy, please email privacy@talkspace.com.