Ethical and Legal Considerations in Balancing Mental Health of Sexual and Gender Minority Students and Parental Consent

Abstract

Navigating the development of attraction ad identity can be particularly stressful for sexual/gender minority (SGM) students—particularly as multiple states have passed legislation targeting SGM rights and culture. School psychologists can mitigate such stress through effective counseling when consent is granted for service provision, but parents who are unsupportive or non-affirming can revoke consent to their child’s counseling services at school. Legally and professionally, this creates conflicting responsibilities for school psychologists, who must engage families’ legal wishes without compromising students’ rights to privacy and well-being. Therefore, to address the legal and ethical challenges of this situation, we present a scenario embedded within a structured seven-step ethical decision-making model. We conclude that while it may not always be possible to support SGM students as desired, there exists practices that can strengthen school psychologists’ work with SGM students.

Keywords:

• School psychologists
• parents
• sexual and gender minority students
• ethical dilemma
• denial of service
• parental objection

Notes

1 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) and SGM were often used interchangeably in the literature (Institute of Medicine, Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities & Garofalo, 2011).