The short answer
Yes. Your license may permit you to treat children, but your training and experience decide whether you should. Setting a minimum client age, or seeing adults only, is a legitimate practice decision as long as it's based on competence and applied consistently.
Can you choose not to see children?
Yes. Most mental health licenses don't limit you by client age, but ethics codes require competence. Child and adolescent therapy uses different skills: developmental knowledge, play-based and family approaches, school coordination, and the legal rules for minors. If you aren't trained in it, declining to see children is the responsible choice.
How should you pick an age range?
Think about competence first, then preference:
- Training. Did your program or post-graduate training include children or teens?
- Supervised experience. Have you treated this age group with supervision?
- Setting. Young children often do better in person. Teens frequently do well on video.
- Family work. Treating minors means working with parents, sometimes divorced or in conflict. Are you comfortable with that?
- Legal knowledge. Consent and confidentiality for minors follow state law, which varies.
It's common to see adults only, teens and adults, or children above a certain age.
How do you communicate it?
State it in your profile, intake materials, and referral conversations. If someone asks why, "I specialize in adults" is enough. Apply your age range consistently.
Can you change your age range later?
Yes. Many therapists add younger clients after training or consultation. If you narrow your range, keep treating current clients appropriately or help them transition; don't drop someone mid-treatment because of a new policy.
How ValorWell handles this
ValorWell's clients include Veterans, spouses, and children of Veterans. ValorWell can serve clients as young as about 10, but that depends entirely on the clinician. You set the youngest age you'll see, or you can see adults only.
ValorWell doesn't influence that choice in any way. If you aren't comfortable seeing a client because of age, or for any other clinical reason, ValorWell accepts it, and that decision is final.
Important limits
- Competence applies at every age. Seeing older adults, for example, also calls for specific knowledge.
- Telehealth with young children has limits. Some children need in-person or play-based work.
- Minors' rights vary by state. Know your state's consent and confidentiality rules before seeing anyone under 18. See Treating Children and Teens of Veterans.