Information for clients
Important information
Updated 24/02/2023
The Gender Clinic currently has a long wait list: in February 2023, we were booking appointments for clients whose referrals were received in August 2021. Additional clinical staff have been employed recently, which aims to reduce this wait time.
Gender Clinic staff are working both offsite and onsite. While telehealth is the Monash preference, we can offer face to face appointments when the clinician deems this is necessary. If you have an upcoming appointment, please contact our admin team to advise them if you would prefer a face to face appointment otherwise we will assume that the appointment is to be held via telehealth. Also advise the admin team if you would like to enter the building via a private side entrance, rather than the main front entrance.
For gender affirming surgeries, Mr Andrew Ives and Mr Cheng have very long wait lists at present for new clients. However they are both continuing to perform gender affirming surgeries. Please contact them directly if you need further information.
If you urgently need support, please see our resources lists: TGDNB Peer Support; Clinical Support. In particular Switchboard Victoria run two phone contact lines open every day: Rainbow Door 10am-5pm (https://www.rainbowdoor.org.au/ 1800 729 367); and QLife (QLife.org.au 1800 184 527) 3pm-midnight. Lifeline (Lifeline Australia 13 11 14) provide all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
In August 2020, the Gender Clinic commenced operating as a Specialist Clinic.
Secure eReferral by HealthLink is now our required method of referral; we no longer accept referrals by fax, email or post.
Find up-to-date information about how to send a referral to Monash Health Specialist Consulting Clinics on the eReferrals page on our website.
The first steps
If you are interested in attending the Gender Clinic please first read the information pack (linked below) then provide a referral from a medical practitioner, such as a GP or medical specialist (preferably your GP). Secure eReferral by HealthLink is now our required method of referral; we no longer accept referrals by fax, email or post. Find up-to-date information about how health professionals can send a referral to Monash Health Specialist Consulting Clinics on the eReferrals page on our website.
Gender Clinic information pack
PDF document
Referrals
Gender Incongruence and Gender Dysphoria are internationally recognised medical conditions, for which patients are entitled to seek treatment, however not all medical practitioners have experience with servicing the trans and gender diverse community and may not be aware of what is needed. If you are worried that your GP will not refer you, please remember you can ask for a second opinion from another GP or contact us and we can guide you to GP’s in your area.
Private providers
At Gender Clinic we know that being able to choose a service provider is important for some clients. Therefore minimising the barriers to accessing trans affirmative care is an important goal of Gender Clinic. If you want to consider these alternative pathways, you can find a list of private providers in the service providers section of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health main page (linked below) or alternatively you can check our our list of private providers below. Please note that you can remain on the Gender Clinic waiting list whilst seeing private providers.
Informed consent primary care options
For clients who only wish to commence hormone therapy we encourage referral to one of the clinics that provide care under the informed consent protocol, unless you have complex needs or seek more comprehensive mental health assessment and support, particularly if you have concerns beyond the scope of a GP’s usual practice. For more information about our intake criteria and a list of relevant clinics, see our Information for health professionals page.
I have sent my referral, now what?
You should soon receive an email or letter that confirms the receipt of your referral: if that has not arrived after a month please email genderclinic@monashhealth.org. Shortly you be will contacted by our admin team regarding an intake appointment; our aim is to have that within 8 weeks of receiving the referral. This appointment will be held via phone call or videoconference with one of our clinicians.
The intake appointment should last no longer than 30 minutes. During this appointment, we will provide you with information about what services we offer. The purpose of the intake appointment is to explore your goals for attending the clinic and to ensure that the gender clinic is the most appropriate service for you. We may suggest alternative services that you can consider. Please note that you will only be added to our waitlist at the end of this appointment.
We will also provide you with information about emergency mental health support should the need arise while you are on the waitlist; and explore with you what you can do while you are waiting on the waitlist.
It is important that you contact us if you are unable to attend your intake appointment. If you do not attend a second intake appointment we may not be able to offer you any further appointments.
The Gender Clinic currently has a very long wait list: in July 2022, we were booking appointments for clients whose referrals were received in April 2021. If your want to know your position on the waiting list, contact administrative staff via email to genderclinic@monashhealth.org with: Surname, Date of Birth and Medicare Number.
Gender Clinic strives to provide an accessible service for all our clients; prior to your first appointment please let us know about any special requirements. We can account for additional needs such as a carer/support person attending, disabled parking access, or a sensory room. During the Covid-19 pandemic, all appointments are through Telehealth, unless there is a particular need for face to face consultation.
Check out our Frequently asked questions page and please contact the clinic Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm to know more. If you are interested in a support group or connecting with the community please see our resources page.