Our daughter is almost 20 years old and self injures. She is currently in therapy, has been to SAFE, other hospitals, etc. My question is, would it be appropriate to turn the responsibility of the medical expenses (after our insurance pays) over to her?
Hopefully some other parents will write in with how they’ve handled this with their adult children. As a therapist, I would encourage you to talk it over with your daughter. If possible, ask what she thinks about this. Perhaps a family session with the therapist to discuss this would be helpful, if it’s an option (since your daughter is an adult, she’d obviously need to agree).
There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, and I don’t know your daughter. It may be more motivating to work in therapy if she has a monitary investment in it as well. For example, if a person is handed a car for free – they may take care of it and they may not. Typically, if someone pays for a car out of their own pocket – they take much better care of it.
Again, it’s important to bring the subject into the open for discussion and give some warning that this shift MAY happen.
Best wishes,
Pam
(Clinical Therapist and one of the blog moderators)