I follow the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care (https://www.wpath.org/publications/soc) which require letters of referral for hormone therapies and gender affirming surgeries for the treatment of Gender Dysphoria.
Gender Dysphoria refers to the psychological distress resulting from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.
Depending on the type of treatment or surgery, one or two letters of readiness from a mental health professional are required. Your surgeon/medical provider and/or health insurance will inform you of how many letters will be needed.
What’s involved and what’s included in the letter?
The 50-minute evaluation consists of meeting with me and completing some forms and questionnaires. Please expect 1-2 weeks for a letter to be sent to your surgeon/provider.
The letter includes the following content:
-General identifying characteristics
-Results of a psychosocial assessment, including any diagnoses
-Duration of the referring health professional’s relationship, including type of
evaluation and therapy or counseling to date
-Explanation that criteria have been met for hormone therapy or surgery and
a brief description of the clinical rationale for supporting the request of said treatment
-Statement of informed consent obtained from the patient
-Statement that the referring health professional is available for coordination
of care and welcomes a phone call