SA Gender Dysphoria Clinic...any been referred?

[LizK]

After the fiasco with the councillor I saw my Dr today and had a few words for him. He apologised and said he would sort it out and call me back. He has made a referral to the clinic here is SA and Dr Lyons but as part of the referral I have write a letter to him. If anyone else has had to do this can you tell what kind of format you used...did you write your life story? was it more about your recent life? was it really detailed or very basic? That's kind of the thing I was hoping to find out...I know this sounds silly but the way the receptionist put it to me it was a bit like "we will look at your referral from your Dr and your letter and the Dr will decide if you need an appointment" Feels like a test....of what, I am unsure, but if I want help I have to do it.

So it does make me wonder what it is they actually want and how important is my letter?

Sarah T

[AnonyMs]

That sounds quite appalling to me. I'd have had an incredible amount of stress if I had to write anything down. It's bad enough just talking about it.

The only way I was able to start by seeing a therapist was by not giving my name at all, much the way I'm free to talk here by being AnonyMs.

Is this requirement from your Dr or Dr Lyons?

[Alexandra T]

Hi Sarah,

I am going through the Monash Health Gender Dysphoria Clinic here in Melbourne, which also has a letter requirement. I had to write up a brief (1-2 pages) autobiographical statement on how gender dysphoria has impacted my life, with reference to schooling, friends, family and occupation. I rang up to clarify how specific I needed to be, and was told I could include as much as I felt comfortable sharing. Basically all they wanted was a brief understanding of my background before the initial session with the psychiatrist. I just wrote the one page outlining how long I have been questioning my gender identity, how I felt about it, why I have decided to come out now and so forth.

There are a couple of Adelaide girls here on the forums, so I'd imagine they might be able to help you out here, as well.

Good luck!