WPATH Letter FAQs

WPATH stands for World Professional Association for Transgender Health. A mental health professional can help transgender and gender non-conforming patients access gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapy or surgery with a letter of endorsement .

You will be asked basic demographic questions, along with questions pertaining to your experiences with gender, gender dysphoria, and any prior or current transition, such as hormones or social transition (such as changing your hair, clothing, pronouns, etc to match your gender experience). You will also be asked about physical and mental health to show that you are healthy enough for surgery. This is all done to comply with insurance companies and what surgeons require in order to conduct gender affirming surgeries.

After the initial assessment, the information will be used to put together a letter showing your physical and mental readiness for surgery. If all of the information was very clear in the assessment, it should take around 1 week. If other questions arise, it could take a bit longer, but not much.

This is really helpful information to gather before intake if you suspect you may like to have more ongoing support, but sometimes we don’t know how we will feel until we get there. Just ask at the time of intake or after if there is currently space for therapy sessions and I will do my best to accommodate. No other intake should be needed, as we have already established a therapeutic relationship at the initial assessment intake. This would be the same hourly rate as any other therapy session.