Supporting your Journey
You are a wonderful, unique, and worthy human being. You’re story has worth and power, and it informs who you are and who you will be. The unfortunate reality is that not everyone will understand or accept who you are. Therapy can be a powerful and transformative experience for trans and gender diverse folx because it is there they can discover themselves without judgment, strengthen their voice, and find and develop self-love. Rainbow Connection Counseling Collective celebrates the vibrant energy, strength, and courage of the trans and gender diverse community. We seek to actively partner and respect who you are and to help you weather life’s turbulent and chaotic mental health challenges. We offer not only therapy, but also letter writing for Gender Affirming Care for clients in California and Washington.
If you are over the age of 18 and in need of a letter from a Licensed Mental Health professional, Harry can provide you with an evaluation and a letter for gender affirming care. Ongoing therapy is not required, but recommended. While we at Rainbow Connection Counseling Collective is to support an informed care model in which you, the individual, is in charge of your medical decisions. However, for insurance companies they still require a letter for gender affirming surgeries.
In the evaluation, we will be working towards understanding and making an informed decision that considers the benefits and risks involved in receiving different forms of gender affirming care including but not limited to hormone therapy and surgery. We will also be assessing if you meet the DSM 5 criteria for gender dysphoria and what forms of gender affirming care will aid in the alleviation of distress. This letter is primarily for insurance companies to authorize the use of benefits for gender affirming care.
Please be advised that informed consent is now considered best practice for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and there are physicians that will not require a letter. This may apply to some gender-affirming surgeries, however insurance companies generally require a letter from a Licensed Mental Health Professional for surgery to be covered.
Here at Rainbow Connection Counseling Collective, we believe in the right for each person to engage in informed care decisions privately and confidentially with their chosen health providers. Our belief is that requiring gender affirming care letters constitute an unnecessary barrier to gender diverse folks receiving the care they need. We provide these letters through an efficient, quick, and low effort process to remove as much of the barriers as possible. We do not support or encourage the gate-keeping rationale behind them.
Click here for information regarding informed consent and a Licensed Mental Health Professionals role in providing letters of support.
We may bill your insurance for the evaluation and letter writing services if you are in network with any of the plans that Harry is in network with. The cost of the evaluation is $200, and covers:
The 55 minute evaluation
Up to 30 minutes of professional consultation with your medical provider
Clinician’s expertise and time