Gender Service
Q Psychology provides gender-affirming support to trans, gender diverse, and non-binary (TGDNB) children, adolescents, adults, and their families. We also provide gender-affirming assessments (“WPATH assessments”) for those on a journey of medical affirmation (gender affirming hormones or gender affirming surgery). Our gender service has been established in line with best-practice and evidence-based guidelines (including the WPATH standards of care version 8 and The Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents). Our service works closely with various external medical providers and healthcare networks (e.g., GPs, paediatricians, endocrinologists, psychiatrists) to provide multidisciplinary healthcare.
Our Gender Service team have extensive training and experience in supporting trans, gender diverse, and non-binary people. The service can help people explore and understand their gender as well as provide assessment and treatment of gender dysphoria and other often co-occurring presentations (e.g., autism and ADHD). The service can also support people in affirming their gender (i.e., ‘transition’). This may involve support with social transition such as exploring name and pronoun changes, changes to gender expression, supporting families, friends, schools, workplaces, and other areas of a person’s life to support their gender affirmation.
WPATH assessments
We provide WPATH assessments for those seeking Gender Affirming Medical and/or Surgical Treatment (GAMST) – gender affirming hormones and surgery. The purpose of an assessment is to support individuals to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare and treatment and to assist them to achieve their goals in an informed and safe way.
Typically the assessment explores goals and motivations for GAMST, gender identity, gender development, and experiences of gender incongruence or dysphoria, social and legal affirmation, the impact of other difficulties, and overall understanding of, and readiness for, GAMST (including the impacts of treatment).
The process usually takes a few appointments. Our role is to help an individual make informed decisions regarding GAMST and to ensure they can achieve their affirmation goals in a safe way. Sometimes, to ensure GAMST goals are achieved safely, the assessment also involves helping individuals to explore uncertainties they may be experiencing. It may also involve supporting their overall mental health. Assessments are delivered in line with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care version 8.
Once the assessment is complete, your clinician will write a report to whichever medical professional is supporting you in your affirmation (e.g., a GP, endocrinologist, or surgeon). Generally, reports are valid for three months (please check with your medical professional as to their required time frame).
Costs
Sessions are charged at the clinician’s standard fee for a 50 minute session. With a GP referral and valid mental health care plan a Medicare rebate is available for each session (up to 10 sessions per calendar year).
There are additional costs for WPATH reports. Medicare does not provide a rebate for reports.
Availability and access
Our Gender Service is available face to face at our clinics or via Telehealth. As Telehealth is available, the service is available Australia-wide.
Important links
WPATH guidelines: https://www.wpath.org/publications/soc
Transhub: https://www.transhub.org.au/
The Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service: https://www.rch.org.au/adolescent-medicine/gender-service