At Sherbourne Health Centre, we provide
responsive, respectful programs and services for the trans community. We
understand the issues they face because we developed our approach to care in
consultation with knowledgeable healthcare providers and members of the trans
community. We believe this approach reduces many of the traditional barriers to
care that trans people and others questioning their gender identity often
experience.
If you are
dealing with gender identity issues, we can help you with primary medical care
and other services such as:
Hormone therapy is a key health service
for anyone wanting to transition from one gender to another. If you are
considering cross-sex hormones for the first time or re-initiating hormone
treatment, it is best to do so with the help of a knowledgeable, experienced
physician and healthcare team.
At Sherbourne Health Centre, our healthcare team works with clients to develop a
clearly outlined treatment plan – “a care contract” - that fits the person’s
unique requirements. The healthcare provider ensures the client understands
fully what changes to expect and all the possible health risks involved in
hormone therapy. Together, they agree on the best treatment option in a
professional relationship based on mutual respect and trust.
Before any decisions are made about prescribing hormones, your provider must assess your particular situation and medical history. This assessment usually takes place over a three-month preparatory period. During this period you will make at least five visits to Sherbourne to see your provider(s).
Not everyone who seeks hormone therapy automatically qualifies. Much depends on your medical history and other important factors. However, your healthcare provider discusses all possible options with you and makes every effort to provide supportive care to help you improve your health.
Guidelines and protocols for comprehensive primary health care for trans clients
These
guidelines are designed to help Ontario clinicians in their day-to-day practice
with their transgender and trans clients. They summarize the current clinical
practice at Sherbourne Health Centre and include protocols for hormone therapy
treatment for both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals. The
guidelines also include sample letters and forms and a glossary of frequently
used terms.
Download the guidelines
here
Click
here
to view Key policy change, New Guidelines &
Protocols on Trans Clients healthcare
Gender
Journeys: supporting trans people through group work
This manual is for service providers offering group counselling to people in the
early stages of transition. It is based on the experiences of staff who
facilitate an eight-session “Gender
Journeys” group at the Sherbourne Health Centre.
The manual can be adapted to suit particular contexts, client groups and needs.
For example:
• The manual can be adapted to include group members in other stages of
transition by shifting some group topics to suit later stages of transition.
• It
can be adapted for use in individual sessions. Discussions could happen
individually and films could be watched with clients or given as “homework.”
• Some
of these sessions can be made into single workshops or stretched into a longer
group with more sessions than we propose.
This is not a manual about how to facilitate groups. However, one will find tips
about what worked at Sherbourne in each section. Some previous experience with
group facilitation is recommended before one embarks on facilitating a group
like Gender Journeys.