Professional+Interview

Interview with Dr. Lynda Barron, PhD, LPC **Dr. Barron:** The first thing I would want to know is when does this kid turn 18? If she just turned 17, then that’s a lot different than if she is just about to turn 18. If she’s in her first trimester, she’s 6 weeks pregnant, and it’s February and she turns 18 in March, then I don’t think his concerns…I think he needs to keep those to himself. If it’s February and she just turned 17 last week then you’ve got a baby that could potentially be born before she becomes an adult. That would make it real different. Seventeen is a very murky age. There’s just not a clear, definite principle of what’s right and what’s wrong. There are some 17-year-olds that are light years ahead of their parents in maturity, and if the therapist were to assess that and felt like she was capable of making her own decisions, then I know the law would support her making her own medical decisions. A lot of times parents of kids that are this at risk, are at risk themselves and are not good guides. So it’s just a judgment call. Are you going to make the situation worse by pulling in an irresponsible adult to make this decision for her or not?

I’m strong in what I believe to be right and wrong, but you cannot let //your// right and “wrongness” guide what you do. You really have to assess whether she’s fully capable of making her own decisions or not. If she were 16, it would different. If she were 15, it would be vastly different.

**Natalie:** Would you try to coach her into telling her mother?

**Dr. Barron:** Perhaps. I would want to know more about mom. Is she a drunk out on the street? Is she working three jobs and really, sincerely dedicated to making it better because they had an abusive father? I want to know more about mom. I would want to know why this kid is 17 and so troubled. I’m not saying that troubled kids don’t have stable homes, but the statistics show the opposite of that—that kids that are in stable homes don’t usually land in alternative schools.

Furthermore, it is not ethical to let your views dictate the decisions you make in the lives of another human being. You can’t help but let them influence it, but his agenda here is that all parents should know. She’s 17-years-old and the law clearly states that a 16-year-old can legally consent to sex, so she can make those kinds of decisions.

I would want to know from a practical standpoint of what it is about this mom that is so chaotic that this child is left so disconnected. I would want to assess that. I think it’s perfectly fine to encourage the kid to include her mom. However, the kid may have good reasons to not include her mom. And at 17, I’ve seen some 17-year-olds be way light years ahead of their parents and I’ve also seen other 17-year-olds not be worth more than a 12-year-old in maturity. So just because she’s 17, you really need more information. And in light of that extra information you get, you have to make a judgment call. And what might be right for this 17-year-old client in this situation may not be right for another 17-year-old client in the same situation. In no way should our own beliefs, no matter how strong they are, dictate the actions that we take. They may influence the actions that we take, but should not dictate the actions that we take. Asking her to come back for more time is an invitation we can give. But going out and “seducing” her to come back in is something I would have a problem with.

**Natalie:** As far as her dilemma whether to keep the baby or have an abortion, how would you handle that?

**Dr. Barron:** I would refer her to one of two clinics. And you can explain the difference between the two clinics because different clinics have different takes on how you handle situations like this.

**Natalie:** What kind of clinic?

**Dr. Barron:** There’s one here in town, I believe Gainesville Care Center, that has real pro-life leans, and then Planned Parenthood has real pro-choice leans. They’re going to know the law better if she decides to keep the baby or not. This would give her some options for unwed pregnancy centers. They can give her pregnancy tests, help her decide whether to keep the baby or not, help give her housing to live in, and all of those kinds of things. If she decides to give the baby up for adoption, they can help her with that also. The counselor needs to give her options so she can make her own choices. media type="file" key="Wiki Interview Part 1.mp3"