What should I do if my parents say no or refuse for me to get therapy?

I’m 16 years old and I live in California. As you know know it’s the summer right now and I have done therapy once in the past when I was in middle school because my mom decided for me to go there because of how I had anger issues and I did it for a year until my mom took me out of it thinking I didn’t need it no more. However lately I have been struggling with depression, anxiety, childhood trauma from the past and loneliness and a little bit of sducidal thoughts that is not as bad but I don’t want it to get worse. and I felt like I could not really talk to anyone about it not even my parents because in the past I was often misunderstood by them and they would often see mental health something you can just walk off. At first I was hesitant on asking them if I could go back but in May I was able to ask her after talking to a school psychologist to help me talk to my parents and the school psychologist referred me out to a program called western youth services which is basically a mental health organization. My mom agreed to it at first but later on she was confused by me wanting to back to therapy again because all I ever told her was I wanted to focus more on myself because I did not want to tell her everything and saying that I was disregarding my family and said that I would not like there advice and I would throw them away because I don’t want advice. The reason she says that is because in the past a lot of the advice she has given me ethier did not work out or was not even advice. For example in 2024 my step dad thought that “bullying” me and “toughening me up”would stop making me “sensitive” and get ready for high school and my mom saw mental health as something I could walk off or just run it off. As time went on there was was no update on me going to therapy so I asked her about and she said that she does not want me to go back to therapy because It would not grow or change anything for me and that most people go there for validation and approval. She said that I probably was going there because I have questions and I want answers to them which is not true because I want a safe space to open up to without fear or judgement. She also used an example of a toxic family member she used to live with who goes to therapy for so many years but hasn’t changed and is still toxic. She also says that in the future I’m probably going to have so many therapist and throw them away because I’m not going to like there advice and won’t build a structure and thinks that it’s like relying on someone. She also says that she does not feel comfortable with me telling the therapist something she doesn’t and that I could just talk to her and tell her the problem and she says she can guarantee me she can fix easily in snap of her finger’s. She also told me that I have it so good and that we take you to places, feed you and take you to your favorite concerts and says she dosent understand why I’m this way. She also says that I have it so easy and that no one here in this family gives you no pressure and they all leave you alone and your always in your room and isolate yourself. she says you want people to leave you alone. She said that they leave you alone because they know if they try to help you out or give you advice I would get upset and not like it. She says that no one here is allowed to talk to me. She says that I’m only doing it to myself and that no one is making me feel this way and it’s all me. She told me that she is never allowing me to go back to therapy bascially because she thinks that it wont do anything and i wont change or grow from it and that she could fix it easily herself. And i already I asked her a-lot and tried to convince her and when i told her that I wanted to go was because i have a hard time communicating with her and want to learn how to communicate with her without fear or having to stay silent and she said ok then we don’t have to talk anymore but i still won’t let you go to therapy because it’s not going to do anything for you. And she says as a mom i know what’s best for you and i have more experience then you too know this. So I really don’t know what to do and how to get the help i need .

Posted Jun 30, 2026, 2:51 AM UTC

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