ABSTRACT
Working with young people, who are considered by legislation to be minors, can present professional and ethical challenges that are seldom experienced when working psychotherapeutically with an adult population. These challenges occur because young people have not yet reached the age of legal consent to mental health treatment. Consent can differ from country to country, for example, in Ireland the legal age of consent for physical medical treatment is 16 years of age, whereas the legal age of consent for mental health treatment is 18 years of age. In the UK all young people aged 16 and over are presumed to have the capacity to consent to mental health treatment unless there is evidence to the contrary. If the child is deemed not legally competent, consent can be obtained from someone with parental responsibility, unless it is an emergency.
