Counselling & Mental Health Services for the Trans and Gender Diverse Community

Counselling & Mental Health Services

The Counselling waitlist is currently CLOSED

The Gender Centre counselling waitlist is currently closed for generalised counselling due to high intake numbers and extended wait times. We apologise for any disappointment.
If you are hoping to access either the specialist parent-counselling or the domestic and family violence counselling, please send through your intake forms, and note the wait time is up to one month.
Please note that this website will be updated when the general waitlist re-opens. We anticipate this will be in November-December, 2024. Keep checking here if you wish to access counselling through the Gender Centre.
If you are in crisis, please phone Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hours), QLife 1800 184 527 (3pm – midnight daily) or present to your local emergency department or Safe Haven https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/towardszerosuicides/Pages/safe-haven.aspx#help
If you are in immediate danger, please phone Triple Zero (000).
If you would like referral options for alternative fee-charging counsellors, please email the Senior Counsellor, Candy, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Counselling at the Gender Centre

The Gender Centre counselling service provides a high quality professional counselling service to the transgender and gender questioning community. The values underpinning our work include: integrity, compassion, respect, vitality, resourcefulness, professionalism and perseverance, and is guided by the following core values.We are committed to assisting clients reach their full personal potential through the provision of counselling services and programs.

We are committed to achieving this with fairness and integrity.
We aim to provide a high quality counselling service which acknowledges human rights and ensures respect, dignity and confidentiality. It is of a particular concern to remove barriers to clients' achievements resulting from their gender, age, cultural and national background, socio-economic background or disability.
We will ensure that our service operates within the bounds of ethical guidelines, and the relevant codes of behaviour for psychologists, counsellors and social workers, including the maintenance of client confidentiality.
We will ensure access and equity issues are met for all.

The Gender Centre's counselling service is available to all clients including residential clients, community clients, partners, family members and friends of people with gender issues at no cost. The counselling service also provides support and education to school counsellors as well as counsellors in rural areas.

Listen to information on Counselling:

The Gender Centre's counselling service provides

Counselling to all clients of the Gender Centre
Counselling to partners and families of clients of the Gender Centre
Confidentiality contract (see below)
M.T.F. and F.T.M., transgender parents, over 55s and transgender youth support groups;
Referrals to psychiatrists, endocrinologists and other specialists
Supervision to counsellors who have a transgender client
Placement opportunities to student counsellors.

Issues covered in counselling

The issues covered in counselling may include (but are not limited to):

cross-dressing
self-harm
suicide
alcohol & other drugs
depression
harassment
hormones
relationships
family
employment
discrimination
anxiety
sexual health
accommodation
surgery options

Counsellors Qualifications & Associations

The counsellor has qualifications in counselling, education, workplace training and assessing and is a member of CAPA. The counselling supervisor is a member of the following professional associations:

Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (H.B.I.G.D.A.);
Clinical Member of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association of N.S.W. (CAPA);
Registered member of the Psychotherapists and Counsellors Federation of Australia (P.A.C.F.A.); and
Australian Society of Sexuality Educators, Researchers and Therapists (ASSERT)
Please don't hesitate to send our Counsellor an email

How do I arrange an appointment with a Counsellor

The Gender Centre counselling team is comprised of gender- specialising counsellors who can meet a broad range of support needs. We have specialist counsellors for gender exploration, mental health, youth, parenting, domestic/family violence, and generalist counselling. To arrange an appointment:

Step 1 Download the counselling intake form (see below)
Step 2 Complete the counselling intake form
Step 3 Email your completed intake form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Step 4 Intake forms are reviewed weekly and all clients are allocated a counsellor
Step 5 Your allocated counsellor will contact you to arrange your first session within one week of receiving your intake form
Step 6 You are eligible for up to 12 counselling sessions at no cost

Counselling Intake Form

The Gender Centre Inc. Counselling Contract

Terms and Conditions

Confidentiality:

The counsellor keeps all notes under lock and key in the filing cabinet in the counselling room.
The counsellor may seek supervision on your situation in keeping with the "Psychotherapists and Counsellors Federation of Australia (P.A.C.F.A.) Ethical Guidelines", thus:
Counsellors and supervisors are responsible for protecting the client's rights of confidentiality in the supervisory context by ensuring that shared information is disguised appropriately.
Supervision is a professional requirement for a counsellor to be registered in N.S.W.

The counsellor will ensure that details of your case are kept strictly confidential except for situations where there is impending risk of harm to self or others and where mandatory reporting conditions (outlined below) apply.
"Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association of N.S.W. Inc. Code of Ethics and Good Practice" states:
Circumstances may arise where a counsellor believes that a client is at risk of imminent self-harm or imminent harm to others. Such situations may give rise to exceptions to confidentiality.

Mandatory Reporting Requirements: "Counsellors and Psychotherapists Association of N.S.W. Inc. "Code of Ethics and Good Practice" states:Legislation now in force within the state of New South Wales makes it mandatory for all counsellors to report to the relevant authority, any concerns they have where a child is at risk of harm. The relevant authority is the N.S.W. Department of Human Services, Community Services.

Residents of the Gender Centre: Confidentiality as above holds except where information relevant to housing is deemed necessary for the residential service and case management.

Cancellation Policy for Counselling

The cancellation policy for the counselling service has changed.
Due to the high number of requests for counselling,within both programs & the waiting time to get an appointment, we now require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment. If you cannot attend a booked appointment, please call 9519 7599 at least one business day prior to the booking, and let reception know.
If you fail to attend an appointment without informing the Gender Centre, you will lose any future bookings and will be required to re-book for counselling and wait until new appointments are available.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

GP information -Accessing PSS at The Gender Centre

GP information -Accessing PSS at The Gender Centre /Submitting your clients referral form:

GP's must fill out the online referral form to access Psychological Support Services (PSS) for their clients.
Clients can only access PSS if they live in the Central Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network.
Access the form here: https://phncesws.redicase.com.au/#!/referral/create
NB: The Gender Centre no longer accepts faxed or emailed referral forms for the PSS service they must be submitted by their GP's through our site or CESPHN's site .

If you are unsure if your client is in the CESPHN area please see the Primary Health Network map locator link HERE:

https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/PHN-Locator

Step 1: GPs click here
Step 2: GPs Complete the PSS online referral form and indicate the Gender Centre as the preferred provider.
Step 3: GPs submit the referral form to the CESPHN Portal.
Step 4:CESPHN will approve or not approve the client, if approved CESPHN will allocate the client to us, this could take upto 14 days
Step 5: Once approved by CESPHN and allocated to us the GC will contact your client to book them in with an available psychologist.
GP’s can also watch the video on how to complete an online PSS referral via this link: https://youtu.be/sS0q3KFyX8I

Psychological Support Services (PSS) funded by Central and Eastern Sydney PHN

The PSS program offers short term face to face psychological support at no cost to eligible clients experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns and who live in the Central and Eastern Sydney region. The Psychologists’ at The Gender Centre are trainied and experienced in working with transgender, gender diverse and gender questioning adults, young people and children . To access this service, visit your GP for a PSS referral and mental health treatment plan.

Please note: if you are out of the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN area you may still access the psychologists through Medicare by obtaining a referral and mental health treatment plan from your GP, this will allow us to bulk bill you.

Am I eligible to access the PSS service

PSS is for individuals who live, work or study in the Central and Eastern Sydney region with diagnosable mild to moderate mental health concerns, who may benefit from short term treatment but are unable to Access other available services. This service is for people experiencing financial hardship (Individual income < $55,000; family income < $130,000), and would not be better suited for people looking for crisis or specialist domestic violence services, or involved in court or insurance matters.

PSS referral and mental health treatment plan is required from your GP
You identify as transgender, gender diverse and/or gender questioning
You live in the Central and Eastern Sydney region
This service is for people experiencing financial hardship (Individual income < $55,000; family income < $130,000)

Outside the PSS catchment area?

If the client is outside of the PSS catchment area see Primary Health Network Map Locator link

https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/PHN-Locator

you will be able to access us through the Better Access program the client will still need a GP's referral and a current Mental Health treatment Plan the client can either drop their referral off to us at Annandale or post their referral directly to us.

Please do not fax or email over sensitive information regarding your client