Supporting all persons with the care they need.
GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE PROGRAM
GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE PROGRAM
PROVIDING GAHT: GENDER-AFFIRMING HORMONE TREATMENT
Elliott Counseling Group is dedicated to helping everyone in our community achieve wellness and an improved quality of life. In an effort to ensure our community has access to compassionate gender-affirming care, we are proud to expand our services to include our Gender-Affirming Care Program to help those seeking medical options to feel the most authentic and affirmed in their bodies to improve their quality of life.
MEET OUR GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE PROGRAM PROVIDER
Taysha Ryan (She/Her/Hers), a Nurse Practitioner and Associate Medical Director at Elliott Counseling Group loves providing a safe space for all clients.
Taysha earned her nursing degree from Lakeview College of Nursing in 2007 and obtained her Master’s in Nursing from Chamberlain School of Nursing in 2019. Currently, Taysha is the Associate Medical Director with Elliott Counseling Group where she oversees the medical department in addition to providing direct care to clients. While providing supportive care to clients as a nurse practitioner at her previous job, she began offering gender-affirming care in 2020 and really found her niche. She finds this work rewarding because she loves providing a safe space for all clients that is focused on respect, and she loves the bonds she forms with her clients, as well as being a part of helping with their transition.
What locations will provide the Gender-affirming care program?
Elliott Counseling Group has offices in Champaign, Urbana, and Mattoon.
However, we are now providing our Gender-Affirming Care Program Services to those in IL through telehealth and in-person services at our Mattoon and Urbana offices.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE PROGRAM
WHAT IS GAHT?
GAHT: Stands for Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
Through GAHT we help provide care to people seeking
WHO CAN SEEK GAHT CARE?
GAHT can be used to support adults 18+ looking to align their body’s outward appearance with their gender. Elliott Counseling Group provides GAHT care for Transfemale patients, Transmale patients, Non-Binary, and/or Genderqueer/Gender Fluid patients.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE FIRST APPOINTMENT?
Our skilled and empathetic nursing staff will conduct a GAHT consultation at your first appointment with you. Together you will discuss your goals, medical history, side effects, and conduct appropriate labs. Our offices have on–site, fully-equipped labs for your convenience.
WILL I HAVE TO GIVE MYSELF INJECTIONS?
Hormone therapy can be provided in many ways, including at-home injections, creams, and patches. Our compassionate nurse practitioners will discuss these options with you and work with you to select the option you are most comfortable with to achieve your goals. Our providers will provide injection consultations with you to ensure you are comfortable with this option should you elect this. Injections are not provided in the office.
Some hormones used for Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy are administered through an injection that is performed at home by the person using the hormone, or the person using hormones might have someone they trust to give them the injection.
Your clinician will discuss your hormone therapy options with you to select the right option for you. If you will be using an injectable hormone, our staff can provide training on how to give yourself an injection, and there are videos for your reference here on our website.
IS THIS COVERED UNDER INSURANCE?
Medical insurance can be used for these services. Our team will help navigate this with you!
DO I NEED TO BE ASSESSED FOR APPROVAL BY A THERAPIST OR EXTERNAL PROVIDER TO JOIN THE PROGRAM?
No! We assess for the program in that first appointment and can ensure you will walk away knowing exactly where you stand and what steps may need to be taken (if there are any) prior to starting your medical care.
WILL I NEED ADDITIONAL MEDICAL CARE?
It is strongly advised that all patients being seen in our office for GAHT have an outside primary care provider; in the case of co-existing health issues, patients may be required to establish a primary care relationship with an outside medical provider. You will need to complete regular lab work once your new regimen begins, which you can do at one of our in-house labs (Urbana and Mattoon) or at an external site.
IS MY DEADNAME REQUIRED?
You will find on our paperwork that we do require your deadname if it is still listed as your legal name or insurance name – and the only reason we utilize those names is that insurance will actively deny any request for sessions or medications if it is not listed under your legal name and is not what the insurance provider is carrying. We ensure that your chart at our office respects the name you have embraced and chosen – and will ensure that all of our staff address you appropriately. Our goal is to someday no longer need to meet this requirement and we will continue to advocate for those changes as vehemently as we can.
WHY DOES THE THE PAPERWORK ASK FOR MY SEX ASSIGNED AT BIRTH?
Our compassionate NP’s want to ensure you meet the goal you have identified for every aspect of your treatment – and to assist us in meeting that goal, we have to know where your base point of assigned sex starts – so we can know how to best help you accomplish your goal. As well as honoring the name that you have chosen for yourself – your chart will ensure that it has the appropriately identified pronouns for you, and we will never address you by the sex assigned to you at birth.
How do I get enrolled in the Gender-Affirming Care Program?
Get In Touch With Client Care
Please call or email our Client Care department to get signed up.
Get Registered & Set-Up
Our client care representative can speak with you about the appropriateness of the Gender-Affirming Care Program for you and expectations for the program. They will then get you scheduled with one of our Gender-Affirming Care Program Providers.
Get Started
Our skilled and empathetic nursing staff will conduct a GAHT consultation at your first appointment with you. Together you will discuss your goals, medical history, side effects, and conduct appropriate labs.