Miscellaneous

A collection of resources about rainbow mental health

Tag: transgender (page 2 of 2)

Northern Region Transgender Health Service Update

“Wherever you live in Auckland, you can now access gender affirming health care through several different health clinics, all of which accept self-referrals. If you are a health provider you can also refer someone to these services or seek more support for providing transition related care (information on healthpoint link below).”

 Northern Region Transgender Health Services (NRTHS) is the collective name for a number of secondary services that provide gender affirming health care for transgender and gender diverse people.

Across the Auckland Region, the two main service providers are Centre for Youth Health for young people and adolescents, and Auckland Regional Sexual Health Service for adults. These two services have multiple clinics across Auckland. They provide support around exploration of gender identity and social transition, family/whānau support, puberty blockers, hormone therapy and referral for other gender affirming health care.

The teams recognise that you are the expert around your own gender identity, whether you’re a binary trans person, non-binary, transsexual, agender, whakawahine, tangata ira tane, fa’afafine, fakaleiti, akava’ine, genderqueer or however else you might like to describe yourself. When you come to NRTHS clinicians will work with you to establish your transition related health goals and provide support around an individualised health plan that may include accessing other specialist services such as: fertility, voice therapy, endocrinology, gynaecology, urology, mental health, general and plastic surgical services* as needed.

 

For more information check out their Healthpoint site:  https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/public/sexual-health/northern-region-transgender-health-services/

Duncan Matthews and the Transgender Health Project

Kia ora, I’m Duncan, working at Waitemata DHB in the newly established role (as of Jan 2017) of Transgender Health Project Manager. The role covers the ‘Northern region’ (all of Auckland and Northland), and I get to work alongside a clinical lead for Transgender Health.

The role came about after several years of work by the DHB’s had already been done. Recognition of the un-met needs of transgender people in our healthcare system is on the rise, and with support from the top levels of DHB in Auckland, progress is happening. While it can understandably seem slow and frustrating to those most needing to access transition related care, we are emerging as the leading region for transgender health care in Aotearoa.

A big focus has been put on having the voices of transgender people involved in the development of services. An initial advisory group ran from 2014-2015 to develop a model of care, and in 2017 a new group will provide oversight as services in Auckland are made more accessible.

The work plan includes a huge list of areas to work on, from young people questioning gender through to those seeking affirmation surgery, and the information your GP has through to hospital computer systems.

You can stay up to date with the project through the DHB website: http://www.adhb.health.nz/about-us/news-and-publications/latest-stories/better-health-services-for-transgender-communities/, or you can email me to be added to the list of project stakeholders.

You can contact Duncan here duncan.matthews@waitematadhb.govt.nz

Ngā mihi nui koutou katoa!

Joe’s views on mental health, transgender health care and informed consent.

Joe talks about  mental health, transgender health care and informed consent.

Go here for more: https://dpsn.net.nz/2016/10/10/vlog-mental-health/

Credits go to:
Sam Orchard, creator and vlogger at DPSN (Diversity Promotion through Social Networking).
Check out DPSN for more blogs here: https://dpsn.net.nz/
Check out Sam’s work here: http://www.thesamorchard.com/

 

New Guidelines from APA about Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People

APA logoI was pleasantly surprised to see that the latest Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People (August 2015) from the American Psychological Association begins with an acknowledgement that “gender is a non-binary construct that allows for a range of gender identities and that a person’s gender identity may not align with the sex assigned at birth.    That is the first guideline, on page 4.

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World Medical Association Statement about Transgender People 2015

Read here: World Medical Association statement

This statement emphasises that “everyone has the right to determine one’s own gender and recognises the diversity of possibilities in this respect. The WMA calls for physicians to uphold each individual’s right to self-identification with regards to gender.”

It also reinforces the need for access to health services: “Evidence suggests that treatment with sex hormones or surgical interventions can be beneficial to people with pronounced and long-lasting gender dysphoria who seek gender transition. However, transgender people are often denied access to appropriate and affordable transgender healthcare (e.g. sex hormones, surgeries, mental healthcare) due to, among other things, the policies of health insurers and national social security benefit schemes, or to a lack of relevant clinical and cultural competence among healthcare providers. Transgender persons may be more likely to forego healthcare due to fear of discrimination.”

The WMA “urges that every effort be made to make individualised, multi-professional, interdisciplinary and affordable transgender healthcare (including speech therapy, hormonal treatment, surgical interventions and mental healthcare) available to all people who experience gender incongruence in order to reduce or to prevent pronounced gender dysphoria.”

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