Gender-Affirming Care Letters of Support
Trans and gender nonconforming people are facing increasing discrimination as a result of the government’s continued attacks on their rights. As a result, navigating gender-affirming treatment can feel complicated and overwhelming. One of the hurdles many face is needing a letter of support from a provider for things like hormones, surgeries, or other treatments.
We want to make this process easier for you.
We’ll work with you to write a letter that truly reflects your journey—no gatekeeping, just support. If you're not sure where to start, I’m happy to figure it out together!
Here’s an example of what this process might look like:
You reach out with a brief description of your situation and what you need a letter of support for.
We set up a quick consultation call to discuss your needs further and figure out how I can help.
We meet for a few sessions to talk more about your experiences related to gender identity, desired results of the gender affirming care you’re seeking, and other things that will help give me the background I need to write a letter that insurance and/or doctors will be satisfied with.
We talk about your plan for post-treatment (e.g. recovery process, community support, time off from work, etc.) to help you feel prepared and secure so that you can just focus on your journey.
We continue therapy together long term OR we part ways and I check in over the next month/after you receive your gender-affirming care to see how you’re doing and if there’s any other support I can offer.
You keep living your life as the trans or nonbinary baddie that you are in a body that feels more like you!
Some things to keep in mind:
Some insurances and/or doctors don’t approve letters written by mental health counselors, instead requiring a social worker or medical doctor to sign off on the letter — neither of which we currently have at Nest. I recommend checking with your provider about this first!
Similarly, some insurances and/or doctors require you to meet with a therapist/etc. for a certain number of sessions/length of time before the letter is deemed acceptable. This is worth checking as well so you don’t run into disappointing barriers right before crossing the finish line.
My goal is not to gatekeep. If Kylie Jenner can get a new nose and fat transferred to her ass without a letter from a therapist, you should be able to get hormones and your tits cut off without a letter too. It’s an unjust system.
There are codes therapists have to follow if they don’t want their licensed taken away, so my goal is to honor both needs in a way that you find supportive and feel autonomy in!