Teen Clinic @Boulder Valley Women's Health
Parents & Guardians
Teen Clinic is here for you, too!
Parents and guardians play an important role in helping youth make healthy decisions about sex. Research shows that young people are more confident in their decisions when they have a trusted adult to talk to. While your teen may or may not want to talk to you about sex, there are lots of things you can do to make yourself available to them.
Our team leads presentations, both in person and virtually, that educate parents/guardians about current teen health issues and provide resources and strategies to discuss these issues with young people. Interested in scheduling a presentation? Contact lulu@bvwhc.org
FAQs
ARE ADULTS ALLOWED TO COME INTO TEEN CLINIC?
We encourage all teens to discuss their visit and their subsequent decisions with their parent/guardian. In fact, about half of our Teen Clinic patients report that they have told a parent or guardian about coming to Teen Clinic. We even have parents/guardians who accompany their child to the clinic and help them to make a donation for services.
WHY IS TEEN CLINIC CONFIDENTIAL?
Unfortunately, not all teens are able to tell their parent or guardian that they are sexually active. Many report that if their privacy is not guaranteed, they may not seek care. Because of this, federal Title X regulations and state statutes assure that all minors have access to confidential family planning services (CDPHE 2019). 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.
BUT DON'T I HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT MY CHILD'S HEALTH?
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 support you in keeping the lines of communication about sexuality open with your teen.