Gender-affirming Care
At the Student Health Center (SHC), we strive to be leaders in providing high-quality gender-affirming care to transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive NYU students. We believe that high-quality gender-affirming care requires a team approach with you at the center.
Our Gender and Sexuality Team is a group of experienced staff that includes medical clinicians, registered nurses, counseling and wellness providers, and Gender-Affirming Care Coordinators, who are committed to helping you access the care you need. With the SHC’s support, team members have dedicated significant time and resources to learning about the best and safest ways to provide gender-affirming care. Our clinicians are members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). They follow the WPATH Standards of Care and participate in their education program.
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What to Expect at the SHC
At the SHC, you will be supported by an experienced team that has received additional training in gender-affirming care and is committed to understanding your unique experience and goals. We understand that seeking medical and mental health care may feel challenging at times, but we’re here to partner with you in providing the best care aligned to your goals and needs.
You and your care team are equal partners in the process—you have the right to ask questions and give feedback, advocate for yourself, set boundaries, bring someone with you, and participate in the decision-making process with your team.
Chosen Name and Pronouns
All staff at the SHC receive training on the importance of using your chosen name and pronouns and treating all of our patients with the utmost respect. You can expect to be asked how you want to be referred to and have our team use gender-neutral language.
To ensure your medical record accurately reflects your identity, we invite you to update your profile in the SHC Portal with your chosen name and pronouns. Your SHC Portal profile does not sync with your name and pronouns in Albert, so any changes you make in Albert will not be reflected in the SHC Portal. Updating your SHC Portal profile will help our staff address you correctly. Additionally, we are aware of the problems inherent in health information systems and continue to work on solutions that will allow us to record your correct name and gender more easily.
To update your SHC Portal profile:
- Log in to the SHC Portal and select Profile from the navigation menu; or
- Tell our front desk staff about any changes you would like to make when you check in for an appointment.
All-gender Restrooms
For your comfort and privacy, all the SHC restrooms are single occupant, all-gender restrooms.
Feedback
We welcome both positive and negative feedback regarding the experience you have had with us—we encourage you to communicate your needs, concerns, and suggestions. If you feel that we could be doing something better or had an experience at the SHC that was not consistent with our mission, please let us know by contacting health.feedback@nyu.edu.
Medical Services
Routine Medical Care
If you need routine medical care (ex: for an illness, injury, or health screening/clearance), you can follow these instructions to make an appointment.
If you need a GYN Health service, such as a gynecologic exam or procedure, you can have your visit take place in a gender-neutral setting. We can make arrangements for you to see a GYN Health provider, but have your visit take place in our Primary Care department (so you don’t have to check in or wait in the GYN Health department). Just call (212) 443-1166 to make an appointment (or after making your appointment online) so we can make arrangements.
Gender-Affirming Care
Our approach to gender-affirming care is tailored to your goals and aligned to your holistic health. Our medical providers can help you develop goals and a plan for transitioning, which may include beginning or continuing hormone therapy.
For services that are not available at the SHC, like voice modification therapy, hair removal, and gender-affirming surgery, we will connect you with a Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator who can help you understand these services and how to access them through an off-campus provider. We work closely with local specialists and strive to build good relationships with surgeons and other specialty care providers who provide gender-affirming care.
Get Connected to Gender-Affirming Medical Care
If you are seeking gender-affirming medical care, please follow the steps below to initiate care with our Gender and Sexuality Team. You should follow the process below even if you already received gender-affirming care elsewhere—or have already met with an SHC provider for routine care.
Step 1
Step 1: Submit a Gender-Affirming Care Form
Step 2
Step 2: Have an Intake Appointment With Your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator
Step 3
Step 3: Step 3: Have a Virtual Appointment With Your Medical Provider
Step 4
Step 4: Meet Your Medical Provider for an In-person Appointment
Step 1: Submit a Gender-Affirming Care Form
The first step to connect with gender-affirming care is to complete a Gender-Affirming Care Form in the SHC Portal. This form includes a few questions that will guide our team to better assist you.
- Log in to the SHC Portal
- Click "Appointments"
- Select “Gender-Affriming Care Intake”
After you submit the form, one of our Gender-Affirming Care Coordinators will reach out to you within one business day to schedule an intake appointment.
Step 2: Have an Intake Appointment With Your Your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator
Your intake appointment with your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator will last one hour and can take place in person or virtually. Your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator is here to help you navigate resources at NYU and outside of the university (if needed). During this appointment, you will work together to discuss your goals, identify barriers or challenges, and explore support and resource options. You will also schedule your future appointments with a Gender and Sexuality Team medical provider. By connecting you with a Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator at the beginning of this process, we can partner with you to address any potential barriers or hurdles in your care right away, which will help minimize challenges and delays later on.
The information collected by your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator during your intake appointment will be reviewed by your medical provider before your first medical appointment. This way, your medical provider can spend more time with you discussing your specific care and goals.
Step 3: Have a Virtual Appointment With Your Medical Provider
Your first appointment with your Gender and Sexuality Team medical provider will be 45 minutes long and take place virtually. Prior to the appointment, your medical provider will review the information you shared during your intake appointment and on your Gender-Affirming Care Form. They may review some of this information with you to confirm it is correct.
During the appointment, your provider will focus on your specific care needs and goals. This is a great time to ask any specific medical questions you may have about the process or what to expect. For example, you might want to know how soon you will see changes in your body if you start taking hormones, how other pre-existing conditions intersect with your gender-affirming care, or about options to preserve your fertility.
Step 4: Meet Your Medical Provider for an In-Person Appointment
Your in-person appointment with your Gender and Sexuality Team medical provider will last 30 minutes and take place at the SHC. During this appointment, your provider will perform a physical exam and you will likely have blood work done, depending on your plan of care. If you are beginning injectable hormones for the first time, the provider will go over this process with you step-by-step. This will be another opportunity to ask any questions that have come up since your previous visit.
Based on your health, desired goals, and treatment plan, your medical provider will advise you about when you should schedule follow-up appointments for medical care.
Follow-up Appointments
Your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator
You will have a follow-up appointment with your Gender-Affirming Care Coordinator after you meet your Gender and Sexuality Team medical provider to process that experience, answer lingering questions, and discuss next steps. This appointment will last 30 minutes and can take place in person or virtually.
At the end of this follow-up appointment, the two of you will decide how frequently to meet moving forward. These meetings may be weekly, monthly, or once a semester depending on your particular goals and needs.
Your Medical Provider
After you go through these steps to initiate care with our Gender and Sexuality Team, you can meet with your medical provider anytime you need gender-affirming or routine medical care. You can schedule appointments in the SHC Portal or by calling the SHC at (212) 443-1000.
Mental Health Services
Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS) can help with any mental health concerns you might experience — including issues related to gender identity and sexuality — along with stress, anxiety, alcohol or drugs, eating, depression, family issues, suicidal thoughts, and more.
CWS offers individual counseling, group counseling, wellness workshops, referrals to long-term services in the community, and long-term psychiatric medication services on-site.
CWS counselors are diverse in background and expertise. Our counselors are psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health counselors, nurse practitioners, and advanced trainees in those professions. They are well equipped to work with students confronting a broad range of issues including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+ concerns, substance use, eating disorders, interpersonal conflicts, identity issues, and a host of other concerns.
Individual Counseling
To schedule a counseling appointment, you first have to pick the right appointment type for you!
- Visit our Counseling Options website to learn about our different counseling types — Single Session, Short-term, Group, and Urgent Counseling.
- Click on the best option for you and follow the directions on that page to schedule an appointment.
If you want to make a counseling appointment with a member of the Gender & Sexuality Team, call us at (212) 998-4780.
Group Counseling
CWS offers group counseling for issues related to identity, including gender identity and gender expression. Group therapy provides a safe and confidential place to explore concerns around various issues. Talking to other students who have had similar experiences offers support, healing, and perspective.
Group counseling options change each semester, but our options typically include a Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, & Non-Binary Group and a Coming Out Group, among others. Learn more or sign up for a counseling group!
Insurance Coverage
For general guidance about understanding insurance coverage for gender-affirming care, we recommend the National Center for Transgender Equality’s guide to getting your healthcare covered.
If you are enrolled in the NYU-sponsored Student Health Insurance (Wellfleet) and have questions about your coverage, contact Wellfleet at (877) 373-1170 or nyu@wellfleetinsurance.com.
If you are not enrolled in NYU-sponsored insurance, please check with your insurance provider for coverage inquiries.
Sexual Assault, Relationship Abuse, and Violence
Sexual assault, relationship abuse, and violence can occur in any community, but studies suggest that around half of transgender and non-bianary people will experience sexual violence and more than half will experience relationship abuse at some point in their lifetimes. Our Sexual and Relationship Respect Services include support such as safety planning, assistance in navigating options and rights, connecting to off-campus resources, and providing emotional support through individual short-term therapy and group therapy. Our sexual assault and relationship abuse counseling groups can vary each semester but typically include groups based on gender identity and those that are gender inclusive.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, relationship abuse, violence, stalking, or harassment, contact the Wellness Exchange (24/7) at (212) 443-9999 to get confidential support and access to resources, Sexual and Relationship Respect Services, or the NYU Bias Response Line at (212) 998-2277 or bias.response@nyu.edu.
LGBTQ+ Center
The LGBTQ+ Center is our partner in delivering a safe, welcoming environment for students to seek medical and mental health care. The Center offers student groups (including T-Party—NYU’s trans and non-binary student group), support services, resources, events, programs, education, and consultation.