AB 1808: Minors: mental health treatment or counseling services.

Existing law authorizes a minor who is 12 years of age or older to consent to outpatient mental health treatment or counseling services, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, if, in the opinion of the attending professional person, the minor is mature enough to participate intelligently in those services. Existing law defines professional person, for the purposes of those provisions, to include, among others, a marriage and family therapist, a marriage and family therapist intern, a professional clinical counselor, a clinical counselor intern, a clinical psychologist, and a clinical social worker, as specified.

This bill would additionally authorize a marriage and family therapist trainee, a clinical counselor trainee, a registered psychologist, a registered psychological assistant, a psychology trainee, an associate clinical social worker, and a social work intern, while working under the supervision of certain licensed professionals, respectively, to provide those services. The bill would require the marriage and family therapist trainee, the clinical counselor trainee, the psychology trainee, or the social work intern to notify his or her supervisor or an on-call supervisor, as specified, at the site where the trainee or intern volunteers or is employed within 24 hours of treating or counseling a minor. The bill would require the trainee or intern, if upon the initial assessment of the minor the trainee or intern believes that the minor is a danger to self or to others, to notify the supervisor, as specified, immediately after the treatment or counseling session. The bill would also change the definition of clinical psychologist for these purposes and would make a technical, nonsubstantive change.