Letters for Gender-Affirming Surgeries

This offering might be for you if you are an adult looking for a one-time evaluation for a letter of mental health support for gender-affirming surgery.

This offering is not ongoing therapy. Insurance regulations vary; however, a one-time evaluation is appropriate and accepted in many situations. If you are interested in ongoing therapy, I can help identify potential referrals. Some surgeons also request or require that patients have access to therapy before and/or after surgery.

If you are an intersex adult pursuing genital reconstruction surgery through the WPATH pathway due to the incredible barriers to intersex-affirming care by other means, I’m happy to work with you.

-Get connected. The process starts by contacting me. Via email, we will determine a time that works for the evaluation.

-Make an account with Grow Therapy. If or when you decide to schedule the evaluation, you’ll need to get set up with an account with Grow Therapy. All of my clinical services are offered through the Grow Therapy platform, which manages billing and booking. When you make an account, it will ask you for your contact information, insurance information, and payment information (debit or credit card, for co-pays or co-insurance). Making an account also requires agreeing to Grow’s “practice policy,” which is linked on the registration page.

-Complete paperwork. Once we’ve scheduled a time for the evaluation, I will email you a link to a protected Google form; this form is designed to gather the bulk of the factual information required to be included in your letter by surgeons and/or insurance. This form also includes the release and waiver agreement for the evaluation (view/download the waiver here), which you’ll be asked to digitally sign. This paperwork must be completed at least 24 hours prior to our scheduled meeting, or we will need to reschedule. If you’d rather complete the form together, please just let me know!

-”Evaluation” session. This is our conversation. I will ask you about some of the information you shared on the form, as well as about your hopes and concerns for the procedure(s), and about your understanding of the risks and benefits of surgery. This conversation is generally about an hour long. On rare occasions—generally at the client’s request—we may meet a second time to continue the conversation before the letter. I meet with folks through Grow’s confidential video calling platform.

-Letter. Once all of your questions are addressed and we are able to demonstrate eligibility for the procedure(s), I will prepare your letter(s). This process generally takes up to a week (though often less). Once complete, I will send to you for review. I am happy to make any adjustments or updates if needed. Once it’s ready, it’s yours to share with surgeons as you see fit.

-Down the road. If you need your letter updated (such as to be addressed to a new surgeon), I’m happy to do this. For most situations, I can make updates without needing to have another appointment. If either of us feels that the update necessitates another conversation, we can schedule that!

-Questions. You’re welcome to reach out at any point during the process to ask questions or learn more!

If you’re looking for other providers for letter support (e.g., you need a letter written by a doctoral-level provider or a provider outside of MA), the GALAP website might be a great place to start. I may also be able to offer additional referrals, if needed.

If you’re looking for ongoing gender-affirming therapy, you can search using Psychology Today’s many filters, or I’m happy to ask my networks for potential referrals.