Gender-Affirming Care
for Patients 18 and Under
A safe place for families doing the hardest thing—keeping their kids alive and seen.
Parenting a gender-diverse teen right now can feel like navigating impossible terrain — laws shifting beneath your feet, timelines that don’t make sense, and systems that were never built with your child in mind. You’ve done everything you can to keep them safe; our role is to help make that possible.
OutPsych provides evidence-informed, affirming psychiatric and medical care for adolescents exploring or affirming their gender. For some, that means support and guidance before any medical steps are taken. For others, it may include puberty suppression or gender-affirming hormone therapy, depending on age, developmental stage, and family goals.
We follow established, evidence-based clinical standards for youth gender care and approach each family individually — because no two kids, and no two journeys, are alike. Care always includes family collaboration, ongoing monitoring, and space for questions at every step.
Puberty suppression can act as a reversible “pause button,” giving time for thoughtful decision-making and reducing distress during early puberty. Gender-affirming hormone therapy may be considered once puberty has started, with shared decision-making between the teen, caregivers, and provider.
We know access looks different everywhere. OutPsych serves families across Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington DC through secure telehealth. Our out-of-network model allows us to provide care free from many of the restrictions and delays that make this process harder than it should be.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. Whether you’re seeking clarity, continuity, or care that simply feels safe, we’re here to help you and your teen find steadier ground.
What to Expect
Here’s our process for youth gender care at OutPsych:
Step by Step
Step 1: Submit the Initial Contact Form
This quick form helps us learn what kind of care your teen might need — psychiatric, gender-affirming, or both. Once submitted, our team reviews it carefully to make sure we’re a good fit. You can then move forward with submitting initial paperwork, and prepping for a documentation visit with our team.
Step 7: Monthly Follow-Up Visits for the First 3 Months of Care
After you start medication, or after this first medical follow-up visit, you’ll meet with your provider monthly for at least 3 months to discuss how treatment is going, and review any side effects, questions, or concerns.
Step 8: Routine Ongoing Care
The ultimate goal is a sense of steadiness — for your teen and for you. We work to ensure your family has a plan that’s sustainable, affirming, and safe across transitions and changes. At this stage, we will ensure we’ve landed on a treatment plan that’s working well and that it will be clinically appropriate to follow up only once every 3 to 6 months.
Step 2: Intake Forms
Complete the intake packet - this will include health history, previous records, and a number of other pieces of information we’d need to get started.
Step 3: Documentation Visit (30 minutes)
We then meet briefly with parents or guardians first to answer questions, outline next steps, and confirm that OutPsych can meet your family’s needs. You’ll leave this conversation knowing exactly what to expect.
Step 4: Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
Your teen meets with one of our PMHNPs for a full evaluation that includes emotional, developmental, and medical history, as well as current stressors and goals.
Step 5: Medical Intake
After the evaluation, you’ll meet with a provider to review the medical plan, including necessary labwork, and discussing prescriptions that may be appropriate. We work to create an individualized plan at this visit. This may include ongoing therapy, medication support, or, when appropriate, hormone-related care. We coordinate with primary care providers or existing therapists to keep care connected.
Step 6: Initial Medical Follow-Up
If prescriptions are appropriate, this is the appointment where you would be prescribed medication that is individualized to your situation and goals.