Can one parent take our child to therapy without the other parent's agreement?

The answer depends on your decision-making arrangement. Mental health treatment — particularly ongoing therapy — is generally considered a major healthcare decision, which means that if you have joint decision-making responsibility, both parents should agree before therapy commences. Taking a child to a single session for an urgent emotional need is a greyer area, but ongoing therapeutic treatment ordinarily requires joint agreement.

If one parent has sole decision-making responsibility, they can enroll the child in therapy without the other parent's consent, though they may still be required to inform the other parent.

In practice, many Ontario family courts have found that short-term, school-based, or crisis counselling can proceed without joint consent in urgent circumstances. However, long-term private therapy — especially therapy that might address the family separation itself — is more likely to be considered a decision that requires agreement.

If your co-parent has started therapy for your child without your consent and you have joint decision-making, you can raise this with a lawyer. Courts generally prefer both parents to be informed and supportive of a child's mental health care.