I understand that kids can need therapy for all sorts of reasons and that parents don't always agree even if schools suggest it.

I have a totally different problem with this issue- namely that school counselors think they are therapists.

My daughter got doxxed by two other girls who also prank called her multiple times.

The school's solution? Group therapy with the girls at school with the counselor.

One of the many reasons I'm glad my daughter is in online school now. She was so bullied that even the bullied kids bullied her and the school's solution was always counseling. Which, of course, made it feel like the bullying was partially her fault. She developed severe anxiety and started having all kinds of self-destructive thoughts. She's only 13.

And no, online school is not the same as being homeschooled. She has live (videocoference) lessons with licensed teachers where she can ask and answer real-time questions and she gets assignments graded by those same teachers. Her textbooks are from Pierson like every traditional public school's textbook since Pierson has a monopoly. The school is run by the state, so it isn't even a private school.

I do have to stay with her and keep her on track and help her with her assignments if she doesn't understand something, but I am not her teacher or considered her teacher or expected to be a teacher and there are plenty of times I have to tell her I'm as confused as she is and we need to talk to one of her real teachers about it.

And we are so lucky to be able to have the ability to go down to a single income and barely squeak by because she is still severely damaged from this months after we pulled her out of her public middle school, but she's building up some self-esteem and is actually willing to go out and do activities and socialize and make friends, which she was totally unwilling to do while in public school. She actually has more friends now than she did when she was in that school, including kids who are still going to that school who have made big apologies to her for going along with everyone else. She's magnanimous to give them another chance. One of them is also now in online school because she became the most bullied kid when my daughter was pulled out.

Does she get therapy? Yes. We put her in therapy and a big reason was because the school didn't do shit besides making her sit down with the bullies in a bullshit group therapy session so they could all apologize to each other.

And that is what concerns me about schools suggesting therapy. They are doing it as a way of solving bullying in a form of victim-blaming.

TL;DR - I do not trust schools to understand the root of a child's mental health problems when the root could be something at school they aren't doing shit about.

This is not that unexpected of a response. People like to say things like therapy for kids "isn't needed" but what they really mean is "I don't want my kid to see a therapist because a therapist is going to blame me for everything"

if they get therapy, they’ll realize I’m an abusive parent.

children deserve self determination just as much as anyone else. kids can't even get their own medical issues addressed if their parents think they don't need / deserve it, it's nuts.

Republicans: School Shootings are a MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE! Also Republicans: THERAPY IS BAD! JUST DEAL WITH IT! HERE'S A GUN!

Personally, I feel like it would be great to normalize therapeutic supports to such an extent that we can let go of the idea they represent something being "wrong" with anybody. We have collectively developed this bizarre sense that we shouldn't need each other, that you should have to face your challenges on your own.

If you are personally in the position where therapy is accessible to you, I encourage you to go for it - even if there is "nothing wrong with you" (lol) - and then recommend it to others, talk about how it helps you grow and learn, etc. The mental health world is still fraught with challenging, dangerous stigmas and the best way to improve that is to show others that it's the stigmas that are dangerous, not the supports.

Not all parents are smart, reasonable, informed people.

This sounds great except when those kids have permanent records of a history of mental problems. (Not true, but how it will be interpreted by others)

They can’t get clearances

Insurance will hold it against them

If they ever get charged with something it will be used against them

All it will take is for all the schools in the world to have perfect cyber security for all time and new laws for my concerns to be mooted

Mental health I argue is more important than physical health. Death is a given eventually, happiness is never a guarantee. I would rather have both obviously.

I am surprised no one has mentioned cost yet. If a school suggest parents send their kids to therapy, but the bill is completely on the parents and they can't afford it, that's a pretty short conversation.

Everyone should be in therapy.

Society needs to discuss the ethical dilemma of medical treatment without a parent's consent. Minors cannot give consent for any medical treatment.