Teen Clinic | Parent Info

Why is there a Teen Clinic?

Teen Clinic is designed to support youth at their efforts to stay healthy and make responsible sexual decisions. Teen Clinic provides exams, testing, supplies and information for those under 20 years of age in a caring, confidential and youth friendly environment by medical practitioners who specialize in the care of teens. Many teens who come to the Teen Clinic are either not sexually active, are just seeking information or are here to support a friend.

The Teen Clinic is also designed to support YOU as you strive to help your children stay safe and grow into sexually healthy adults. We encourage all teens to discuss their visit and decisions with their parents. In fact, about half of our Teen Clinic patients report that they have told their parent about coming to Teen Clinic. We even have parents who accompany their child to the center and help them to make a donation for services provided.

Unfortunately, not all teens are able to tell their parent or guardian that they are sexually active and state that, if their privacy is not guaranteed, they may not seek care. These teens still have a right to reproductive health services that can help them stay non-pregnant and free of a sexually transmitted infection. Because of this, federal Title X regulations and state statutes assure that all minors have access to confidential family planning services. (Colorado 13-22-103 Minors- Birth Control Services Rendered by Physicians and 13-22-105 Minors’ access to medical, dental and related services). These confidentiality policies for minors are supported by many respected health care organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association.

Because of these confidentiality policies, we are not able to discuss your child’s visit with you or release medical records to you without the patient’s consent. We are able to discuss our clinic services and general reproductive health and prevention information with you. We are also happy to provide you with support in keeping the lines of communication about sexuality open with your teen. (see below)

Let’s Talk …

Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to discuss sexuality issues with their children on a daily basis and are their child’s primary sexuality educators. While some parents are comfortable discussing sex with their kids, others feel anxious, uncomfortable or embarrassed by explicit conversation.

Our suggestion?

RELAX! Talking about sex doesn’t have to be one “BIG TALK”- in fact, it shouldn’t be. You have already been discussing many aspects of sexuality with your child in small conversations about what they look like, what they do and what they think- all of which send messages about sexuality. You can build on these interactions to include both more factual information and a discussion of your values. Honest, open communication between you and your children will help them to understand your values and stay healthy as they mature.

Some Resources

To help you teach you kids about sexuality before someone else does, consider these resources as a starting place.

www.advocatesforyouth.org One of the best sites for BOTH parents and teens from an organization that “Respects the right of youth to act responsibly.”

www.cfoc.org/4_parent/4_kids.cfm The Campaign for Our Children’s website includes talking tips.

www.familiesaretalking.org The website of the Family Project, a project of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Empowers parents and caregivers to communicate with their children about sexuality-related issues and to provide tools to help families communicate about these issues.

www.siecus.org/parents.html The Sexuality Education and Information Council of the U.S.

www.teenpregnancy.org The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s site with incredible resources and information for parents, professionals and youth.

www.mvoices.org Site of Mother’s Voices- committed to mobilizing parent and adults to be educators and advocates for adolescent HIV/AIDS prevention

www.pflag.org Parent’s Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays provides support and information including referrals

Tired of “Surfing the Web?”

There is an endless array of other media to support you. Here are some of our favorites!

Books for Parents on Talking about Sex
Ann Bernstein, Flight of the Stork: What Children Think (and When) about Sex and Family
For parents of kids age 3-12

Debra Haffner, From Diapers to Dating: A guide to talking about sex w/ 0-12 yr olds
Beyond the Big Talk A guide for talking with middle schoolers and up

Deborah Roffman, Sex and Sensability: The Thinking Parent’s Guide to Talking Sense about Sex

Pam Wilson, When Sex is the Subject Primarily focuses on young children

Books about Adolescent Sexuality
Michael Gurian, The Wonder of Boys and A Fine Young Man

Mary Pipher, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls

William Pollack, Real Boys