On Demand Training
Ethical WPATH Letter Writing
A practical, trans-affirming approach to one of the most important, and most undertaught, responsibilities in clinical work with trans clients.
★★★★★
"Ari's training was very thoughtful and helpful in considering the role I play as a clinician in helping those access life-saving care. Ari really considers the impact of the frameworks we are working under on our clients, and their training breaks this down in an easy to understand way. A very valuable course."
Jess | Psychologist
Do you want to support access to gender affirming medical care, but feel uncomfortable about your role as a gatekeeper?
You're not alone in that discomfort. Many trans-affirming practitioners find themselves caught between the practical necessity of writing these letters and a genuine ethical unease about the gatekeeping function they've inherited.
WPATH assessments and letters are one of the most significant things a practitioner can do for a trans client seeking gender-affirming medical care. Done well, they are affirming, client-centred, and empowering. Done poorly they can be dehumanising, stressful, and harmful.
This training doesn't look away from those complexities. It directly addresses them, so that you can find a way of doing this work that you feel genuinely at peace with.
What This Training Covers
Core Content
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The history and ethics of WPATH assessments. Understanding the context of this work and how to position yourself ethically within it
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A detailed breakdown of assessment items according to WPATH Standards of Care Version 8. What each item means clinically and how to approach it
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Exactly what to include in a WPATH letter: structure, language, and framing
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Complex case considerations, including a clear account of what is and isn't actually complex, and what to do differently for each.
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Practical harm reduction and client-centred care: how to conduct assessments in ways that are respectful, collaborative, and affirming throughout
Essential Resources
- Assessment Checklist and Notes Template
- WPATH Specific Client Info Pack
- Example Letters for adolescents and adults.
Who is this training for?
This training is designed for mental health practitioners who write — or want to write — WPATH letters for clients seeking access to gender-affirming hormones or surgery.
It is relevant across professional disciplines, including psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, social workers, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses.
If you are unsure whether writing WPATH letters falls within your scope of practice, get in touch and we can talk it through.
About The Trainer
Hi, I'm Ari Heart (they/them).
I am a psychotherapist, educator, parent, trans non-binary person, and co-founder of Trans Wellbeing.
I have been supporting trans people and their families to navigate the various stages of their journeys for many years.
My personal experience as a non-binary trans person informs the depth of care I bring to this work, but it is the many thousands of hours of conversations with trans people and their families that has built much of the purpose and content of our training and programs.
This work is deeply personal for me, as someone who's been on the other side of this process and who now writes letters for others seeking gender affirming medical care.
I've felt, seen, and heard about many different approaches for conducting WPATH assessments and writing letters. This experience can be affirming and easy, or it can be dehumanising, disempowering, and stressful.
I also know what it is like to grapple with our own role in this process, as mental health practitioners.
Rather than turn away from the difficult questions about the ethics of this work, let's lean in and grapple with these questions so that we can find our own way through - a way that we feel at peace with.