You should tell your mom if you need therapy if you're under 18 as you will require your moms or parents consent to seek therapy.
To get therapy if your parent's won't let you start by talking with your school about counseling as you can see a licensed school counselor without parental consent while at school.
Most times a school counselor can help you through what you're going through when you can't see a therapist outside of school.
To be seen by a therapist you will need to provide informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.
Minors cannot provide the consent needed for therapist treatment or mental health treatment on their own.
A small number of states make exceptions for sensitive issues like mental health but the majority of states require parental consent to be treated or seen for mental health including going to a therapist.
However while you require parental consent to be seen by a therapist the therapist cannot tell your parents what you discuss with them unless you're really young.
Therapists are confined by confidentiality laws that protect what you say to the therapist.
So the therapist will not tell your parents what you say unless you consent to the therapist doing so in writing.
Legally speaking, people under the age of 18 do not typically have a right to confidentiality in therapy.
However, some therapists ask parents to agree to the therapist's confidentiality rules before they will treat the client.
While state laws cover alcohol and drug abuse, some specify only one or the other.
Some states prohibit disclosure to parents, some leave this to the physician's discretion, and others require disclosure under certain circumstances.
Therapists who break confidentiality laws may be sued by clients in some cases, and they can get into trouble with state licensing boards as a result.
HIPAA does also allow a therapist to secure a client's permission to share relevant information with a health insurer for the purpose of being reimbursed for claims.
Even if you confess to your therapist that you are guilty of multiple robberies, rapes, or murders, therapists cannot report this information to the police, as it violates patient confidentiality laws if they do.
The amount of information you share with a therapist is entirely up to you.
After all, you're the client.
Still, the more honest you are with your therapist, the better.
Giving your therapist a window into your thoughts, feelings, and experiences provides them with context and details, so they can best help you.