LEARN HOW TO WRITE GENDER AFFIRMING MEDICAL READINESS LETTERS

The Ins & Outs of
Gender Health Evaluations:
An Immersive Workshop

VIRTUAL, June 9-11, 2022

Even With the Most Complex Cases, Gain the Clarity and Confidence You Need to Write Ethical, Gender Affirming Medical Readiness Letters for Transgender & Nonbinary People

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Hello all,

I’m Dr. Shawn Giammattei with the Gender Health Training Institute…

I am a clinical family psychologist and WPATH certified mentor who is dedicated to helping therapists provide gender affirmative care to transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive (trans) clients and their families across the life span…

and build gender-affirming practices while navigating the quickly changing world of transgender health so that your clients and their families can build stronger connections, live with authenticity, and receive the care they need.

As you’re probably aware, trans people and their families are at risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes because of a lack of access to gender-affirming healthcare.

What you may not know…

There are not near enough mental health providers available to help them access this care and navigate it in the healthiest way possible, especially trans youth and their families.

The good news is that you and I have the power to help change that and in my humble opinion, an ethical responsibility to do so.

We need more mental health providers who…

  • are confident in their skills
  • can competently, ethically, and affirmingly provide context specific gender health evaluations in collaboration with their trans clients and their families
  • can provide readiness letters for gender affirming medical care
  • can help their clients navigate any difficulties that may arise on their journeys.

With over 20 years of experience teaching graduate level courses, leading workshops, conducting research, and engaging in scholarship on trans health
as well as regularly collaborating on gender health evaluations and readiness letters and as someone who is also a member of the trans community I am uniquely qualified to take you on a deeper dive into the topic of gender health evaluations and medical readiness letters.

Let me tell you what I am thinking and Why this is important now…

As a data driven guy, I am constantly surveying and talking to the trans community, therapists, and medical professionals
to understand the gaps in training and services needed.
The most recent survey results…

  • The major challenge and sometimes outright fear for you is the prospect of writing letters to help trans & gender expansive children, adolescents, and adults access gender affirming medical care and being unclear about the assessment process.
  • You feel caught between the competing needs of the trans community, your clients, medical providers, insurance companies, outdated Standards of Care, and in some cases your professional boards and state laws.
  • You struggle to know the questions to ask (or not to ask), what information is necessary, and how much to put in the letter.

  • The trans community and their families are finding it hard to find competent providers (with openings) to write the readiness letters they need without having to spend a small fortune and jump through, what feels like, unnecessary and unethical hoops.

  • Medical providers often struggle with letters that do not address the questions they need answered to provide the best medical and surgical care for their patients.
  • Surgeons report that letters have too much unnecessary information, but more often than not, they are sorely lacking the key information they need to move forward.

As therapists, we have been put in a tough position, and one most of us feel very uncomfortable with.

At the same time, what do we do when someone we have been working with comes out as trans or gender expansive and needs us to help them get the medical care that will likely save their life?

Many clinicians have told me it is outside their scope of practice, and yet…

  • What if there is no one else available who can help your client?
  • What about the emotional & financial cost to your client having to re-establish care with a “gender specialist” when they already have a bond with you?

It is not necessary to become a gender specialist to…

  • do gender affirmative work with your clients
  • know the right questions to ask for a context appropriate gender health evaluation
  • be able to conscientiously write readiness letters within your scope of practice that can open the doors to life saving medical interventions your client may need.
  • and do this in a reasonable amount of time.
Gender Health Evaluation Immersive Workshop

Based on OVERWHELMING interest, I’ve created an opportunity for a LIMITED number of clinicians to work with me in a 3-day, interactive, Virtual Immersive Workshop to help you become a confident gender health evaluator.

I wanted to give you a heads up so you can grab one of these spots before they fill up…

Here’s How It Works…

Join us for this LIVE Virtual Training Experience

The sessions, activities, and resources provided will help you to improve your skills, develop context specific, collaborative gender health plans, and templates, get feedback from an expert in trans health whom you can trust, all while getting CE’s.

We’ll be meeting live for 3 consecutive days over Zoom.

June 9-11, 2022

What you can expect…

  • Access to helpful pre-training content
  • Step by step guidance through the development of a gender health evaluation tool that fits your practice or organization and provides you with the appropriate focus, the right questions to ask, and the important areas to cover with a special focus on youth and families.
  • Writing context specific and appropriate medical readiness letters, including valuable guidance on the types of letters, the necessary content they should cover, and time saving templates that work
  • we not only cover the content you need but also the ethics and current issues involved in providing letters

And much, much more!

Gender Health Evaluation Immersive Workshop

We’re going to talk about…

  • How to understand your role as a therapist to evaluate your clients’ understanding of medical procedures and adequately prepare them, without stepping outside the boundaries of your discipline.
  • How to write letters when you fear that a client will change their minds in the future and might hold you liable for a less than thorough evaluation/affirmation of readiness if they regret their decision to have surgery or begin hormones later on.
  • How to evaluate minors and provide gender affirming letters even when you are challenged by reluctant guardians who are more afraid of the risks of treatment than the risks of withholding gender affirming care.
  • How to know the specific requirements in letters based on the age of your client and the different necessities that come with each life stage.
  • How to collaboratively assess for informed consent, even when you feel conflicted and less qualified to assess because a client has a difference or disability that leads you to wonder about their capacity for consent.
  • How to evaluate and incorporate minority stress, trauma, and complex co-occurring issues for a readiness letter when your client thinks that you’re requesting too much information.
  • How to engage in affirming gender health evaluations when you feel like the whole process is harmful and worry about exploiting the trans community

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg…
This Immersive Workshop experience will help you build competence and understand how to handle the many situations that can come up when navigating evaluations

What is the cost of this opportunity?

WE ARE OFFERING THIS AT A HUGE SAVINGS!

While we can’t put a price on the value of writing a readiness letter that saves someone’s life, we do know how many hours having your own templates can save you. That savings alone more than pays for the cost of this workshop.

We also know the fear and substantial cost of a legal battle that saving you the cost of a legal battle if someone regrets surgery and comes after you seeking damages for not thoroughly evaluating them. That scenario is more of a concern right now with the current political climate sweeping the country, but rest assured we’ll go over the options, protocols and reasoning behind them to help you protect yourself and your practice.

My 2-5 hour didactic workshops typically cost $500 alone, and attendees walk away each time with tremendous insights and tools.

Our 3-day, 20 hour Immersive Workshop, offering all of the above, including direct LIVE, step-by-step assistance, will cost $4,799 in the future.

Right now, in the interest of meeting the exploding and dire need in changing economic times…

We are introducing this essential 3-day Immersive Workshop at an enormous savings of $3,500 with one simple payment of…

JOIN US
June 9-11, 2022

JUST $1497

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Here’s What’s Going to Happen Next…

Scroll down and take a look at everything we have planned for this Virtual 3-Day Immersive Workshop.

Then reserve your spot because we are limiting the number of therapists into the Workshop at this time to allow for a more personal experience.

FIRST COME

Registrations will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

My suggestion is to DO this now, while you’ve got this in front of you and you’re thinking about it because we are only taking a limited number of therapists into the Workshop at this time.

I have been talking to several therapists about this training and the response has been overwhelming. This workshop will fill fast, so join now. You’ve got nothing to lose, and lots to gain in your gender affirming practice.

Are there bonuses?

YES!

Bonus #1

There will be a kick-off didactic/Q&A session prior to the start of the Workshop a week before for those who register in advance. This will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Get an overview of everything the Workshop entails, as well as practical insight on constructing your own gender health evaluation, the requisite tools and how to access insurance information. You’ll be well prepared to make the most of the Workshop experience at the end of this session.

Bonus #2

Access to templates, checklists, and tools to make creating your own gender health evaluations easier.

Bonus #3

PDF swipe files of letter templates: including letters that trans, non-binary, and gender expansive people often need.

Bonus #4

Bonus session on integrating the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Standards of Care version 8 to be scheduled once they are released.

FAST-ACTION BONUS…

Sign up for this Immersive Workshop before June 1st, complete your payment in full, and be entered into a drawing for one of 3 spots for a special one on one call with you Dr. Giammattei prior to, or within a month of, the Immersive Workshop to help you through your toughest Gender Health Evaluation and Referral Letter situation.

I’ll also tell you how to get the most out of our work together.
(Full payment & timestamp registration verified; $400 value, free)

JOIN US
June 9-11, 2022

JUST $1497

REGISTRATION CLOSED

From Uncertainty to Confidence…

A significant part of your Gender Journey as a clinicians, is becoming competent as a collaborative gender health evaluator.

By participating in the Gender Health Evaluation Immersive Workshop, you’ll take a vital step in moving from uncertainty to confidence in providing gender affirming care to your trans, non-binary, and gender expansive clients.

On completion, you’ll walk away much more confident in your ability to…

  • provide collaborative and affirming Gender Health Evaluations for children, adolescents, adults, & their families
  • evaluate readiness and informed consent for treatment.
  • know the questions to ask and issues to explore
  • understand the impact of minority stress and trauma on readiness
  • know when and how to write appropriate Readiness Letters
  • understand your potential biases that could impact your evaluations
  • make an action plan to decolonize your work while providing much needed services

And much, much more!

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ll be meeting on Zoom over the course of 3 consecutive days,  June 9-11, 2022. This is an intensive Immersive Workshop where you get to improve your gender health evaluation skills, work on your own forms and templates, and get feedback from folx you can trust while getting CEU’s.

This workshop will be taught and facilitated by Shawn V. Giammattei, PhD

Dr. Giammattei is a clinical family psychologist in private practice in Northern CA specializing in couple and family therapy with people across the lifespan, with a particular focus on transgender and gender expansive youth and their families, as well as relationships where one or more partners are trans. He is also a researcher, educator, and a professor teaching online graduate and post-graduate courses in LGBT psychology and family systems. He is the founder/director of the Gender Health Training Institute, and serves on the board of local and national family therapy organizations, is active member of Mind the Gap, is a WPATH GEI SOC7 Certified Mentor, and the author of several articles and book chapters on gender, sexuality, and family work.

**There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program

In brief, you will be creating your own evaluation tools that cover aspects of family, psychological, and gender histories that are important for evaluations, informed consent vs gatekeeping, evaluating the impact of minority stress & trauma, gender dysphoria and differential diagnosis, writing readiness letters, decolonizing your practices, getting your questions answered, and much, much more…

Day 1 – Informed Consent, Ethics, and Gathering History

  • How your own narratives inform your practice
  • Understanding informed consent/assent across the lifespan and how to evaluate it
  • Utilizing the WPATH standards of care and preparing for upcoming changes
  • Understanding the differences between evaluations of minors vs adults – watching out for the ethical pitfalls
  • Understand what the colonizing of trans health is and how to address these in your practice
  • How to gather pertinent client history to better understand background and contextual factors that affect transition
  • The Gender Story – who, what, how

Day 2 – Evaluating Complexity

  • How to affirmatively evaluate minority stress, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences
  • Gender Dysphoria and differential diagnosis
  • Affirmative evaluations of complex co-occurring issues
  • Evaluate medical necessity and readiness
  • Basics of gender affirming medical interventions
  • Navigating medical and insurance denials

Day 3 – Pulling it all together / Readiness Letters

  • What readiness letters are, and how top notch ones are structured
  • How to use your gender health evaluation to write letters of readiness
  • Creating your templates
  • How to reconfigure your practices and approach evaluations collaboratively
  • How to offer your services without exploiting the community

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to…

  • Explain the collaborative and affirming approach to Gender Health Evaluations for children, adolescents, adults, & their families
  • Describe the ethics of engaging in gender health evaluations and writing letters
  • Deconstruct decolonizing practices
  • Evaluate the impact of gender dysphoria and medical necessity for treatment
  • Identify the different needs of children/families and adults requiring trans related care
  • Describe the impact of minority stress and trauma on readiness
  • Choose the best questions to ask when gathering psychosocial and gender histories
  • Evaluate patient readiness and informed consent for treatment
  • Choose the best questions to help determine the impact of minority stress on the gender and psychological needs of their clients
  • Utilize red flag questions to differentiate co-occurring issues that may require additional evaluation and treatment
  • Choose the best measures for evaluating the intersections of co-occurring issues
  • Identify the components necessary in letters of readiness for insurance approval and appeals for insurance denials
  • Construct collaborative gender health evaluation tools to create timely and appropriate letters of readiness
  • Apply gender health evaluations in service treatment and writing letters of readiness that stay within their scope of practice.
  • Differentiate the type and content of letters that may be needed by clients
  • Demonstrate and understanding of the WPATH Standards of Care and when to diverge from them
  • Apply the best approach to offering gender health evaluations and letters of readiness without exploiting the community or engaging in gate-keeping or colonizing tactics.

Agenda is in Pacific Time

DAY 1

9:00 – 10:30

  • Ethics and use of Gender Health Evaluations
  • Ethics of letters of readiness and scope of practice
  • Building rapport and avoiding the gatekeeper trap

10:30 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 1:00

  • Gender Affirmative Model and GHEs
  • Informed Consent/Assent
  • Evaluations and Telehealth
  • Evaluating Adults vs Children

1:00 – 2:00 Lunch

2:00 – 4:00

Gathering History Part 1:

  • Family/Psychological
  • Developing appropriate questions

4:00-4:30 Break

4:30-6:00

Gathering History Part 2:

  • The Gender Story – Who, What, How
  • Q&A
  • Question Development for the GHE Template (Homework)

DAY 2

10:00-11:30

  • Review Question Development Homework
  • Assessing Minority Stress
  • Trauma & Adverse Childhood Experiences

11:30-12:00 Break

12:00-1:30

  • Evaluating Medical Necessity
  • Differential Diagnosis: Gender Dysphoria
  • Common Co-Occurring Issues: 
  • Eating DO, Autism, ADHD, Social Anxiety

1:30-2:30 Lunch

2:30-4:00

  • Types of Letters for Trans health care
  • Content of top notch letters
  • Managing insurance denials and appeals

4:00-4:30 Break

4:30-6:00

  • Assessing Preparedness
  • Medical Interventions: Prepubertal – Adulthood
  • Appropriate use of psychological measures
  • Q&A GHE Template (Homework)

DAY 3

9:00-10:30

  • Implementation of GHE
  • Letters for minors
  • Understanding complex presentations

10:30-11:00 Break

11:00-1:00

  • Using the GHE to establish care
  • Using the GHE to write letters of readiness
  • Letters for Adults vs Children

1:00-2:00 Lunch

2:00-3:30

  • Types of letters
  • Content of letters
  • WPATH Standards of Care 
  • Diverging from the SOC

3:30-4:00 Break

4:00-5:30

  • Pulling it all together
  • Creating letter templates
  • Finishing GHE template
  • Offering services without exploitation
  • Q & A

The total cost for the GHE Immersive Workshop is $1197 before May 19, 2022.  The cost goes up to $1497 after May 18th.

We have a 3-month Payment Plan available as well (3 months $550 monthly). For the Payment Plan checkout page click here.

*If you are a student or this is inaccessible for you, please feel free to get in touch for other options.

You can watch the replay at any time. You can also comment on the videos if you need clarification on a concept even after the live event is over. You’ll have lifetime access to this version of the course, even after the price goes up for new attendees.

Yes! There is a dedicated group for you to get real-time feedback on challenging evaluations. The group is maintained before and for the duration of the Workshop. You’ll be able to post and comment freely during that time. The group will be archived after this time because of the challenges of responding to posts indefinitely. You’ll always have access to the archived group and all the posted materials there.

Of course. If you attend the first session and decide it’s not right for you, then a full refund is issued. After that session we cannot give a refund, but you’ll retain access to the materials and recordings.

Contact us at [email protected] if you have any concerns or issues with the workshop.

The Immersive Workshop schedule is as follows:

Bonus: Pre-training Didactic /Q & A
June 1, 5 – 7 pm PT (8 – 10 pm ET)

Day #1  June 9th,  from 9 am – 6 pm PT (12 – 9 pm ET)

  • lunch 1 pm – 2 pm PT (4 – 5 pm ET)
  • (2) 30 minute breaks at 10:30 am PT (1:30 pm ET) and 4:00 pm PT (7 pm ET)

Day #2  June 10th,  from 10 am – 6 pm PT (1 – 9 pm PT)

  • lunch 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm PT (4:30 – 5:30 pm PT)
  • (2) 30 minute breaks at 11:30 am and 4:00 pm PT (3:30 pm and 7 pm ET)

Day #3  June 11th, from 9 am – 5:30pm PT (12 – 8:30 pm ET)

  • lunch 1 pm – 2 pm PT (4 – 5 pm ET)
  • (2) 30 minute breaks at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm PT (1:30 and 5:30 pm PT)

Although we will do our best to stay on schedule, the exact timing of lunch and breaks may change.

This immersive workshop is for behavioral health providers (Psychologists, Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors) who want to work more closely with trans, non-binary and gender expansive clients in helping them receive gender affirmative care and are willing to take a closer look at their own practices. Since this is an an intermediate learning experience, this workshop is not for you if you don’t have the introductory knowledge of gender identity – the gender 101 basics.

Contact us at [email protected] if you have questions prior to joining. We want you to be successful and can point you in the right direction even if this isn’t a good fit.

Yes. 19.5 hours of CE’s and certificates of completion are provided through R. Cassidy Seminars

Satisfactory Completion
Participants must have paid tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire webinar, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate. Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates will be available following course completion at www.ceuregistration.com

Cosponsored by R. Cassidy Seminars, P.O. Box 14473, Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Psychologists
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0018. 19.5 clock hours. Live online.

Psychoanalysts
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts. #P-0005.
19.5 clock clock hours. Live online.

Social Workers
CA and Other States: Most states accept continuing education courses offered by either CE Sponsors for APA, (which R. Cassidy Seminars is) or will accept the approval of other state licensing boards of the same license type. Some states, either do not require pre-approval of courses, or will allow licensees to retroactively file for course approval themselves. Check with your board to obtain a final ruling.

IL-SWs: Illinois Dept of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #159.000785.
19.5 clock CE hours.
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider (#0006) of continuing education for licensed social workers. This program is approved for 9 contact hours Live online.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for
19.5 clock hours, #RCST110701

Counselors/Marriage and Family Therapists
CA and Other States: Most states accept continuing education courses offered by approved providers with national providerships or will accept the approvals of other state licensing boards of the same license type. Others, either do not require pre-approval of courses, or will allow licensees to retroactively file for course approval themselves. R. Cassidy Seminars is an approved provider with two national providerships, as well as holding many individual state license type approvals. Check with your board to obtain a final ruling.
IL-MFTs: Illinois Dept of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #168-000141.
19.5 clock hours.
NY-LMHCs: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0015. 19.5 contact hours. Live online.
NY-LMFTs: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0011. 19.5 contact hours. Live online.

OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for
19.5 clock hours, #RCST110701
TX: Approved CE Sponsor through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists. Provider #151 19.5 CE hours.

Creative Arts Therapists
NY: R. Cassidy Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board of Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists, #CAT-0005. 19.5 contact hours. Live online.

Chemical Dependency Counselors
CA: Provider approved by CCAPP, Provider #4N-00-434-0555 for 9 CEHs. CCAPP is an ICRC member which has reciprocity with most ICRC member states
TX: Provider approved by the TCBAP Standards Committee, Provider No. 1749-06, 19.5 hours general.  Complaints about provider or workshop content may be directed to the TCBAP Standards Committee, 1005 Congress Avenue, Ste. 460, Austin, Texas 78701, Fax Number (515) 476-7597.

Educators
TX: R. Cassidy Seminars is an approved provider with the Texas Education Agency CPE# 501456. This course is 19.5 CE Hours.

Nurses
CA: Provider approved by the CA Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CeP15554, for 19.5 contact hours

Dentists
CA: R. Cassidy Seminars is a provider approved by the Dental Board of California as a registered provider of continuing education. RP# 4874 19.5 CE Hours.

Disability Access – If you require ADA accommodations please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.

Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

Evaluations and Certificates are available by email and online following course completion at www.ceuregistration.com

Absolutely!

Bonus #1
There will be a kick-off didactic/Q&A session prior to the start of the Workshop a week before for those who register in advance. This will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Get an overview of everything the Workshop entails, as well as practical insight on constructing your own gender health evaluation, the requisite tools and how to access insurance information. You’ll be well prepared to make the most of the Workshop experience at the end of this session.

Bonus #2
Access to templates, checklists, and tools to make creating your own gender health evaluations easier.

Bonus #3
PDF swipe files of letter templates: including letters that trans, non-binary, and gender expansive people often need.

Bonus #4
Bonus session on integrating the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Standards of Care version 8 to be scheduled once they are released.

Fast Action Bonus
For those who sign up for this Immersive Workshop before June 1, 2022, and complete your payment, you will be entered into a drawing for one of 3 one hour consultations with me. This is a special one-on-one call to help you through your toughest Gender Health Evaluation and Referral Letter situation.

There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.

JOIN US
June 9-11, 2022

JUST $1497

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Register for this intensive, LIVE, step-by-step immersive workshop without risk. Visit us at the first session and If you’re not completely satisfied, write to us and we will make a full refund. We’re that confident you’ll find this learning experience to be all that’s promised and more than you expected.

WPATH full member
WPATH Mentorship

SHAWN V. GIAMMATTEI, PhD IS AFFILIATED WITH & FEATURED IN

WPATH
AFTA
American Psychological Association
AAMFT
Family Process
WPATH Journal