Alaskan teenagers aged 16-17 are often reluctant to seek help or access mental health care due to their lack of communication with their parents. House Bill 232 (HB 232) aims to allow these teens to access care directly and receive limited services in the field of mental health counseling without needing parental consent. Currently, this barrier is for those who are unable to tell their parents about their struggles or feel suicidal, or cannot realistically involve them. HB 232 allows short-term counseling, no more than five sessions, when a treatment provider believes contacting a parent would be harmful to the minor’s health. It also states that psychiatric medication should not be prescribed without parental consent and families should be involved in counseling when possible.