Enrolling on the waiting list is via referral from your GP (via zorgdomein or mail)
Our promises
Genderhealthcare fit to measure
Our care forms itself to your needsGenderhealthcare fit to measure
We support transgender and genderdiverse persons and work together to form the best way to go through their transition. We coordinate the treatment with you within our team. You will have the possibility to work online, face to face or a mix between the two. For certain appointments there is a strong preference to physically be present, but this will be discussed with you. You can reach us from 8 am to 8 pm and on Saturdays via telephone, whatsapp or our social media. You can also call us between 22 and 8 in case of an emergency.
Genderspecialist
We are specialists in genderhealtcareGenderspecialist
Our organization is specialized in (trans)genderhealthcare. That means our medical specialists are trained to help trans and gender diverse individuals. Our organization is also led by people who know the problems of these people from close by. The LGBTQIA+ community is strongly represented in our team, which means that our team can provide you with the best gender health care.
Genderhealthcare network
Network of collaboration partnersGenderhealthcare network
Genderhealthcare is specialized in the medical part of your transition. Together with Genderhealthclinic and other specialized medical care institutions, we offer specialized care for trans and gender diverse people. This network consists of, among others, the Medical Clinic Velsen Noord, MC Bloemendaal and VUmc and UMCG.
Quality care
Our aim: the best gender healthcareQuality care
You and your wishes are central to the healthcare we provide By listening to the wishes of our clients, we can continuously improve the quality of care we provide to trans and gender diverse individuals. We have set up a client council to provide us with advice from the client’s perspective. In addition, from this year we are ISO 9001 certified, which means that our entire business operations have been tested for quality and found to be of a good level. We have worked hard on this over the past year and we are very proud of this!
The healthcare we provide
Click on the photos below for more information
Getting through the waitinglist period
At Genderhealthcare we are aware of the impact of the long waiting time and the uncertainty that you as a client go through. We will keep you well informed of the progress by sending you an email every 3 months with an update of your position. Because this period can be very difficult for the people on the waiting list, we would like to point out the options you have to bridge the period as well as possible.
Waiting time
Genderhealthcare’s waiting time is now 121 weeks.
The oldest registration at the moment of publishing this text (08-09-23) dates from May 1, 2021 and the newest from August 8, 2023. Because Stepwork went bankrupt and Genderhealthcare did not accept new clients until April 2023, there are no new registrations on the waiting list in the period September 2021 to March 2022. added.
Activities with gender diverse people in your area
Both physical and online activities are organized throughout the Netherlands with which you can come into contact with gender-diverse people from your area. Coming together in an environment that is safe and supportive greatly reduces the (minority) stress that gender diverse individuals can experience. Find meetings in your area via; https://transvisie.nl/onderling-contact/organisaties/ — https://switchboard.coc.nl/ —https://www.zijaanzij.nl/events/land/Nederland
General practitioner or POH
You can discuss psychological support for bridging the waiting list period with your GP. They can refer you to an appropriate healthcare institution. Following psychological treatment at another healthcare institution does not exclude starting at Genderhealthcare. There is also a practice assistant available at the GP, with whom you can have conversations about issues that are concerning you.
Talk with the people around you
By talking about your frustration, sadness, anger and other complicated emotions with someone close to you, you reduce the feeling of loneliness that can arise. Find someone in your area that you feel safe with and try to share what you feel step by step. Every little bit can help you feel less alone and vulnerable. Read more about this (Dutch website):https://bylizet.nl/praten-over-gevoelens-hoe-doe-je-dat/
Exploration and diagnosis
Our care path consists of a minimum of 13 treatments, which are aimed, among other things, at figuring out your wishes regarding your transition. Based on your intake and an evaluation of your care needs, the team determines together with you what your trajectory should be. The minimum trajectory takes 6 months and consists of 13 treatments, the longest trajectory lasts 18 – 24 months.
What does the first phase consist of?
- You have an intake interview with a practitioner and with your assigned coordinating practitioner, who will complete a questionnaire with you called the Honos+.
- The Honos+ is a questionnaire that asks very broadly what you encounter in your daily life.
- During the general intake you will be discussed about your wishes with regard to the treatment via Genderhealthcare. Your healthcare goals will always be central to this.
- We may discover together that you would like help for other things you encounter. In that case, we will also include those requests for help in your treatment plan.
- After the 2 intake days, your intake will be discussed at the consultation moment of the practitioners and coordinating practitioners and it will be determined which practitioner is best for you.
- Sometimes you stay with the practitioner of the intake, but sometimes a better match is expected from another practitioner or another practitioner has more time to help you. In that case you will be scheduled with someone else for the follow-up.
- If there is not a place with a practitioner immediately after the intake, you may have to wait a while until your treatment really starts. We make sure that we keep you well informed when you can start and monitor how you are doing. The maximum time you have to wait between the intake and the start of treatment is 6 months.
- The diagnostic phase that follows lasts an average of 6 months. In this period;
- You form your transition treatment plan with your personal goals together with your therapist.
- You write an insight to your life story and deepen it together with your therapist
- There will be a heteroanamnesis (discussion with you and a loved one) done. This discusses the sustainability of the wish, the general development, the presence of support from your network and investigates whether your loved ones also have questions regarding your transition.
- You will be guided in describing the expression of gender dysphoria as you experience it or exploring your gender identity further. This way you can get help in exploring what suits you if you find it difficult to investigate this yourself and you can experience under supervision what suits you or not.
- You will have an information meeting with the Genderhealthcare doctor about hormone treatment, if this is something you are considering.
- The practitioner will write a summary report (transfer report) with you, requesting a second opinion interview.
- At the end of this diagnostic phase, you have a second opinion interview in which, based on a conversation with you and by reading the transfer report, it is examined whether you are ready for the next phase at that time (hormone treatment, surgery, etc.).
- If for whatever reason you are not yet ready for the next phase, the practitioner or coordinating practitioner will make a plan with you on how you can work towards this as well as possible. After the period that you have worked on this, the second opinion interview is simply conducted again with the aim of transitioning to the next phase at that time.
Real life phase
During the social and medical transition, you will be assisted by our (basic, healthcare or clinical) psychologists. They guide you in this process with any challenges that may arise. During treatment with hormones for example, not only physically, but also emotionally a lot can change. Together with the psychologist, you ensure that you navigate this period with sufficient resilience.
Hormones
The hormone treatment itself is done by Genderhealthclinic, see for more information; https://genderhealthclinic.com/ . During the diagnostic and exploratory phase, you will have an informational session with the Genderhealthcare doctor who can answer all your questions about hormone treatment.
During this period, the psychologist can also help you to make the referral letters to clinics for other treatments, such as speech therapy and permanent hair removal.
Speech therapy
Usually one of the first noticeable effects of taking testosterone in transgender men is a lowering of the voice. Unfortunately, this does not happen to everyone and trans men sometimes still benefit from voice training. Trans women do not experience a change in their voice when using hormones, but they can go to the speech therapist if they do strive for this change. For more information also look at; Genderdysfonie – Logopedie
Permanent hair removal
A referral can be made for both facial and body hair, for example from the genital area or other body parts whose skin can be used in a vaginal or phalloplasty. Depending on the medical treatment you envision, Genderhealthcare will advise you on the time frame that must be followed before undergoing the operation.
Depilation for a vaginoplasty
With a vaginalplasty, it is advised to have certain parts of the skin, which are used for the internal part of the vagina, permanently depilated. This is best done by a skin therapist. Because hairs are in different growth stages and sometimes need to be treated several times, it is advised to start hair removal at least 9 months before the operation.
Hair removal for a phalloplasty
When opting for phalloplasty with urethra extension, the urethra is made from part of the skin from the forearm. To prevent hair from growing on the inside of the urethra, this part of the skin must be free of hair. It is advised to start hair removal at least 9 months before gender confirmation surgery.
Surgery
The Genderhealthcare team will help you throughout your process to prepare all the necessary documentation for a referral to the clinic of your choice. Genderhealthcare has a partnership with the clinics MKVelzen Noord, MC Bloemendaal, VUmc en UMCG for the surgical treatments. A partnership means that we refer clients regularly and have coordinated everything with the clinics and health insurers to make this process easy.
Referrals
At the clinics with which there is a partnership, there’s efficient communication and it is clear to all parties what is needed. If you as a client want to be referred to a clinic with which there is no partnership because an operation is performed in a different way here and you prefer this, this is possible. Genderhealthcare and the treatment team can work with you to draw up the referral, with which the application for reimbursement from the health insurer and contact with the clinic can be made.
“Warning”: arranging everything for a referral outside of our partnerships will need you or your environment to invest extra time and effort. You will have to initiate and maintain contact with the health insurer and the clinic yourself or with support from your own circle. When the clinic or health insurance asks for additional documentation, you can submit this question to the treatment team of Genderhealthcare and we will see if and how we can contribute.
In the meantime, we are working hard on establishing partnerships with clinics where many clients want to go for example in Spain and Thailand, which will make this easier in the future. Genderhealthcare will keep you informed on this.
Your health and medical treatment; weight
When you want to undergo surgical treatment, it is important that you are in optimal health before, during and after the operation(s). A clinic can refuse medical treatment if your health is assessed insufficiently, for example if your BMI (weight vs height) is too high or too low. The Quality Standard for Transgender Care says: “A BMI below 18 or above 30 is a contraindication for genital surgery. With a BMI above 35, no gender confirmation surgery is performed. People who are clearly underweight or overweight are more at risk of developing thrombosis, wound infection and delayed wound healing. Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of postoperative myocardial infarction, wound infection, nerve damage and urinary tract infection.”
Your health and medicaltreatment; substance (ab)use
A clinic can also refuse medical treatment if your health is assessed as insufficient due to substance use. if you know that you want to undergo medical treatment in the future, but you recognize problems with substances (cigarette/alcohol/drug) use, it is important that you seek help as soon as possible to deal with this. Your health during (by influance on the narcose) or after (by influance on wound and nerve restoring) treatment can severely be endangered by this. The Quality Standard for Transgender Care says: “Smoking is a contraindication for genital surgery. Other medical contraindications are assessed by the responsible person who also sets the indication.”
Contact your GP to be informed about the possibilities for guidance when quitting substances or get in contact with a specialized clinic such as the Jellinek. If this hasn’t worked yet, report it to your practitioner so that you can make a plan together to stop in time, so that your medical procedures are not compromised.
For which treatment can you go to Genderhealthcare as a mental health institution?
In addition to guidance during a transition process, Genderhealthcare also offers general psychological care. In addition to gender dysphoria, you may be hindered by symptoms such as anxiety or depression. You may wonder whether, in addition to dysphoria, there is also difficulty regulating your concentration, which causes you to experience difficulties in your work. If this is the case, we will assess together with you whether these are symptoms that we can work on with you within Genderhealthcare. We make this assessment based on screening, diagnostics and, of course, conversations with you and possibly someone from your environment.
In 2023, Genderhealthcare will offer treatment for psychological complaints for clients who are being treated as part of the Gender Dysphoria trajectory. From 2024, Genderhealthcare also wants to offer treatment for psychological complaints to clients from the trans community who are not undergoing treatment at Genderhealthcare before their transition.
Forms of treatment
Within Genderhealthcare we work with different forms of therapy. This includes psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, group treatments (in the near future), EMDR and E-health. Read more about this below.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is an effective treatment method for psychological difficulties and problems in which conversations between client and therapist are central.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that teaches you to look at and deal with problematic situations differently. Cognitive behavioral therapy assumes that problems are influenced and maintained by a person’s thoughts and behavior. By investigating, discussing and changing that behavior and those thoughts, the psychological complaints decrease.
Schemetherapy
Schemetherapy is a nationally and internationally scientifically proven effective form of psychotherapy for people with personality problems or other long-term complaints, such as recurrent depression. Scheme therapy helps you understand and change the origin of persistent patterns. During the treatment, the influence of childhood experiences on your thinking and acting is examined. You learn to recognize your patterns and to change them in such a way that you start thinking differently, feeling better and doing things differently. You learn to feel what your needs are and you learn to deal with them in a healthier way. This will allow you to better direct your life and improve your relationships with others.
EMDR
EMDR therapy is a form of treatment in which you talk about the memory of a trauma and at the same time are distracted by your therapist with distracting stimuli. These are usually hand movements, but can also be sounds, which are offered left and right. EMDR is mainly used in the treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related anxiety disorders.
Grouptherapy
Genderhealthcare has worked hard to develop group therapy for our clients. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to start this form of therapy due to a shortage of registrations. We are currently investigating whether we can start in a different form so that more people can participate.
The group therapy is built around the theme of gender dysphoria and the difficult but also beautiful things that you as a trans person can come into contact with. We will work on resilience in difficult situations and there will be room to explore the good sides togetherfor example with aGenderbending workshop. If you are interested, you can register as a candidate via Meike.vanijzendoorn@genderness.com with subject title Grouptherapy.
E-health
E-health is the use of technology to support or improve health and healthcare. Many programs allow you to work independently, but there are also treatment programs that you work on together with the practitioner. Clients are thanks to e-health capable of taking control of their own health
Possible diagnostics
A diagnosis is an accurate description of the symptoms, severity and course of psychological complaints or developmental stagnation. Making a diagnosis can help a client better understand and cope with certain aspects of their life. A diagnosis can also lead to treatment in which the complaints can significantly decrease or disappear. That is why you can come to us for diagnostics and diagnosis in, for example, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD, Anxiety and Depression.
Trauma treatment
When there are traumas in the past, sometimes resulting in PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome), this can have unpleasant effects in many areas of life. Our team consists of psychologists who specialize in treating these complaints.
For the treatment of PTSD, a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aimed at Trauma and EMDR is often used. Cognitive behavioral therapy usually focuses on ‘reprogramming‘ certain– unhelpful – thinkingpatterns. Your therapist can help you face your fears through role-playing and/or teaching you how to relax your body and mind.
EMDR therapy is a form of treatment in which the client recounts the memory of a trauma and is simultaneously distracted by the therapist with distracting stimuli. These are usually hand movements, but can also be sounds, which are offered left and right. EMDR is mainly used in the treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related anxiety disorders.
Other things that are important to know
Registering Waiting list and lateral entry clients
Help at Genderhealthcare requires a referral from a doctor, GP or medical specialist. Psychologists can also refer in accordance with GGZ rules. We prefer to receive the referral letter digitally via ZorgDomein. Our read more…
Mutual Expectations about the trajectory
It could well be that this is the first time you have come into contact with a healthcare facility like ours, and so we would like to explain to you a little about what we expect from you as a client with us, but also what you can expect from us. Read more…
Expert statement
We can issue expert statements. Our experts are Leo Harks and Carlijn Nijhuis-Venelamp. For clients, the costs are 75 euros for the statement. For non-clients, these are 250 euros for the interview plus 75 euros for the statement.
Healthcare costs contracted by insurances
The landscape of healthcare costs and the mental health system can be very complicated. We notice this as a healthcare institution, but we certainly hear this back from our clients as well. We do our best to keep you as informed as possible with the information we have. Read more…
Uncontracted care
When you have a contract with a health insurer that does not have a contract with us, it requires you as a client to do a lot of research. Please read the information below carefully. The rate we charge for care is the rate set by the NZA. Read more…
Authorisations for non-contracted care
If you want to use the services of a non-contracted healthcare provider, in some cases it is possible to request an authorisation from your health insurer. With this authorisation, the health insurer authorises reimbursement of the costs of Read more…
(Changes to) your medical records
In order for all the administration concerning your journey to run as smoothly as possible, we need the right data from you in good time. As soon as something changes in your personal data (gender, name, address, other) or in your health insurance (Change of health insurance read more…
Complaints, Ideas and alerts
Should you have any ideas following your journey with Genderhealthcare? Do you see that we do not yet offer certain care offerings, but should? Do you have ideas on improving the accessibility of our locations? Read more…
About Genderhealthcare
Genderhealthcare started in 2021 and now has 18 staff members who together work extremely hard for our target group. Like any mental health institution, we have a quality statute, a privacy protocol, a client council and have two locations. Read more…
Healthcare costs for contracted healthcare
The environment of healthcare costs and mental health care can be very complicated. We notice this as a healthcare institution, but we certainly hear that from our clients. We do our utmost to keep you informed as best as possible with the information we have. Towards the end of the year you will receive an email from us with information about the health insurance policies we have contracted with for the coming year.
Insurances Genderhealthcare 2023
We have concluded contracts with the following health insurers for 2023:
- Achmea/ Zilverenkruis
- Menzis
- VGZ
- DSW
- CZ
Tariffs
Our rates are based on the NZA Rates and the standard rates of the health insurers in the Netherlands. You can find our rates with each health insurer in this overview. NB; With a pure refund policy with a contracted health insurer, you can expect full reimbursement. This is not the case with a natura or combination policy.
For more information check out: Keuzegids Zorgverzekering 2023 – Trans In Eigen Hand
Mutual expectations during your treatment trajectory
This may well be the first time you have come into contact with a healthcare institution such as ours and that is why we would like to explain what we expect from you as a client with us, but also what you can expect from us.
Appointments (schedule, keep, cancel)
You schedule the first few appointments together with our Care Planning and then you do this in consultation with your practitioner. The practitioner usually tries to find a fixed time in the week/month with you, so that you can plan a little further ahead. This way you both know where you stand and your private appointments and the treatment appointments of the practitioner can be planned around that.
Canceling an appointment when you are unable to attend must be done at least 24 hours in advance by calling +31 (0) 88 244 8800. It is important to realize that you help a fellow client by calling to cancel on time, because then we can help someone else at your time. That is why you will receive an appointment confirmation in your e-mail, a reminder e-mail and a text message 24 hours before your appointment takes place. This also gives you enough time to reschedule the appointment. If you do not let us know in time that you are absent, the costs of the appointment will be charged to you.
Being ill; It is of course possible that you become ill and therefore have to cancel an appointment. Even then we would like to ask you that if you estimate the day before that you will be sick the next day, you would rather call to reschedule the appointment than have to cancel it that morning. Then we can help someone else who is waiting at that scheduled time
Collaboration with your practicioner
The trajectory you enter into at Genderhealthcare is your personal trajectory, in which your own commitment is very important. The practitioner stands besides you and helps you to take control as much as possible. You do this by setting your personal treatment goals, but also by your own involvement. The practitioner will help you to obtain information from a clinic, but will do this together with you during a session and not at times when you are not present. This way you are always directly involved and informed! We will also involve you in consultations at all important moments, so that you are in direct contact with your entire team.
Questions in between sessions
If you have questions between your treatment sessions that you are looking for an answer to, you can often ask them to the Care Planning, via Zorgplanning@genderhealthcare.com. Mailing or calling the treatment team is more limited because they are busy with the treatments for most of the day! It is often smart to agree with your practitioner what you can email about or save your question for the next session by writing it down.
Healthcare costs uncontracted healthcare insurance
If you have a contract with a health insurer who does not have a contract with us, it requires a lot of research from you as a client. Please read the information below carefully;
The rate we charge for the care is the rate set by the NZA. The NZA is the regulator of the care, which indicates which rates are common for, among other things, mental health care. There are health insurers that use their own rate, which may differ from the NZA rate. With both a refund policy and a natura policy, it is important for you as a client that you carefully investigate the following matters
- What percentage does the health insurer reimburse? Is this a percentage of their own rate or of the NZA rate? Please note: If the health insurer says that they reimburse 100%, but it is 100% of their own rate and not the NZA rate, it may mean that you will not be reimbursed for everything.
- If the insurer does not want to pay your bill, you as a customer must contact your health insurer. The health insurer can only explain to you as a customer why they do not want to pay. They are not allowed to share this information with us.
If the health insurer needs additional information from Genderhealthcare, you as a client can request this from us via zorgplanning@genderhealthcare.com
Complaints, ideas and alerts
Do you have ideas regarding your trajectory at Genderhealthcare? Do you see that we do not yet offer certain healthcare services, but should? Do you have ideas about improving the accessibility of our locations? Do you have ideas about our website or have you seen something that is not yet listed here? Then don’t hesitate! Submit your idea via our quality and policy officer Meike van IJzendoorn and send an e-mail immediately or report it via the form at Report Form.
Should you run into an unsafe, uncomfortable situation in contact with Genderhealthcare, an employee, a (directing) practitioner? Know that we find it extremely important to prevent, or to address and improve these situations. We want every client to feel safe, which is why we explicitly ask you to make a report in these situations. Our quality officer will then deal with this report together with you. Report it via the form at Report Form or send an e-mail immediately.
Complaints
Gender healthcare is part of Genderness. Genderness has set up the following complaints processes for Genderhealthcare, Genderhealthclinic and Gendertalent:
- Discuss your complaint with your (directing) practitioner or (job/career) coach. If you need help with this, you can send an email to the complaints officer; Meike van IJzendoorn at her e-mail .
If you don’t want that, you have two options;
-
- Internal complaints procedure: our quality employee will handle your complaint. You can report it via our Report Form or send an e-mail to Meike van IJzendoorn. This process is described on our general terms and conditions page .
- External complaints procedure via Healthcare Complaints Portal: This organization takes care of our external complaints procedure based on the Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act. You can find this complaints procedure here; external complaint comittee.
If you cannot reach an agreement, there is a dispute committee. You can find more information about this here; disputes comitteeIf you have any questions, please contact us at info@genderhealthcare.com with the subject: complaints.
Registering Waiting list and lateral entry clients
New clients
Help at Genderhealthcare requires a referral from a doctor, GP or medical specialist. Psychologists can also refer in accordance with GGZ rules. We prefer to receive the referral letter digitally via ZorgDomein. Our AGB code is 73736880. The referral letter can also be sent via secure email from zorgmail to info@genderhealthcare.com or by post to Niasstraat 1, 3531 WR in Utrecht.
Please include a brief history, possibly a medication summary and also that you are referring for suspected gender dysphoria.
Former Stepwork Clients
If you were under treatment at former Stepwork, please contact our care planners at +31 88 2 44 88 00.
Lateral entry clients
If you were under treatment with another gender team and are stuck, you can also report to our care planners. They will then see how they can help you by means of a lateral intake procedure.
Authorizations for uncontracted care
If you want to use the services of a non-contracted care provider, in some cases it is possible to request authorization from your health insurer. With this authorization, the health insurer gives permission for the reimbursement of the costs of the treatment by the non-contracted care provider.
Applying for an authorization can differ per health insurer, but you usually have to go through the following steps:
- Request a quote and a treatment plan from the non-contracted care provider.
- Submit an application for authorization to your health insurer. This can often be done online via the health insurer’s website or by post. Make sure you have the quote, the treatment plan, the referral letter from the GP and the healthcarepathto send in.
- The health insurer will assess your application and determine whether the treatment is necessary and whether the costs are reasonable.
- If the health insurer agrees, you will receive authorization for the treatment and reimbursement of the costs.
It is important to know that an authorization is not always granted and that you may have to pay part of the costs yourself. In addition, the reimbursement you receive may be lower than with a contracted care provider. It is therefore always wise to inquire in advance with your health insurer about the conditions and options.
(Changes to) Your medical records
Inform us on adjustments!
To ensure that all administration regarding your process runs as smoothly as possible, we need the correct information from you in due time. As soon as something changes in your personal details (gender, name, address, other) or in your health insurance (change of health insurance or policy), we would like to ask you to inform us via zorgplanning@genderhealthcare.com.
Registration of gender
As an organization, we find it very important that our clients are addressed in correspondence in the desired form. We actively encourage our suppliers to address people properly.
However, there are a number of limitations in the healthcare sector with regard to the processing of, for example, declarations or the processing of information based on your BSN, which means that it is not always possible to maintain your desired gender. This can occur, for example, with:
- Writing out prescriptions via the National Switch Point
- Submitting claims to health insurers.
We notice in these two situations that in these cases it is necessary to keep your gender registered in the basic register.
It is currently not yet possible to enter a gender X registration in our electronic patient file (EPD). Due to our negotiations with the EPD company, this will be changed in the summer of 2023. Until then, we can only register you in male or female, with the choice you indicate.
Access to your medical file
You can request access to your file via info@genderhealthcare.com. Our administrative staff will then make your file available for you in the client portal
About Genderhealthcare
Genderhealthcare started in 2021 and now has 18 staff members who together work extremely hard for our target group. Like any mental health institution, we have a client council, quality statute, privacy protocol and work from two locations
Client council
Genderhealthcare has set up a client council. This client council consists of members who are clients of Genderhealthcare. The council consists of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members. The client council discusses with the director issues that improve the quality of care and the organisation.
The director has established the client council as of 7 October 2021. The cooperation agreement can be found here.
The job profile for the chairman of the client council can be found here.
The job profile for a member of the client council can be found here.
Quality statute
The ‘National Quality Charter GGZ’ describes the quality standards a healthcare provider must meet to organise care for individual clients in mental healthcare (GGZ). It focuses on the roles, tasks and responsibilities of the indicative and coordinating director-treasurer and of other care providers in the various parts of the care process.
Genderhealthcare’s quality status is based on that quality status. You can find the entire quality statute via this link.
Locations of Genderhealthcare are:
Utrecht – Niasstraat 1, 3531 WR
Groningen – Paterswoldseweg 806, Ground floor, 9728 BM
Privacy protocol and terms and conditions
Our privacy protocol and terms and conditions can be found here.
Do you want to make your transition with us? Please ask your GP to refer to us via Zorgdomein or e-mail here
Meet the team!
We would like to introduce you to our enthusiastic team members
Hi, I'm Pauline (she/her) and I've been working at Genderhealthcare since February 2023. I've started working here because I wanted to help improve the all-round quality of healthcare for the transgender community lees meer...
Barbara Loomans is an honest, sensitive, decisive and creative psychologist who has extensive experience in guiding people who are undergoing deep, drastic changes. lees meer...
I am a Brazilian clinical psychologist with 18 years of experience in Europe and South America. I am fluent in English, French and Portuguese, and lees meer...
I'm Ezgi. I am a psychologist with more than 2 years of experience working with various psychological problems. I graduated from the Clinical Masters program lees meer...
My name is Dionysia and I am a basic psychologist with experience in the treatment of psychological complaints such as neuroses, depression and anxiety disorders. I started in June 2022 at lees meer...
My name is Daphne van der Zande and I have been working at Genderhealthcare since March 2023. I started working here because I was looking for a modern organization that fits lees meer...
Hey, I'm Biyanka (she/her) and I am one of the basic psychologists at Genderhealthcare. I previously gained work experience at an SGGZ outpatient clinic and I am furthermore lees meer...
Hi! I am Gerbrich Coehoorn (they/them) and I’m a psychologist at Genderhealthcare. My passion for the target group of transgender people shows both on a scientific and personal lees meer...
hey! My name is Toph Scharpf (that/them/them), I am 24 years old and I live in Rotterdam. After my internship at Genderhealthcare, I will start here as a practitioner from August lees meer...
Hi, my name is Anjo van Lieshout (she/her) and I am a coordinating practitioner at Genderhealthcare. I started as a remedial educationalist and later developed into a mental health (GZ) psychologist. lees meer...
My name is Steven Matthijsen and I live in Zeist with my dog Saartje. I like going to the opera, reading all the news and I like philosophizing. After my retirement I will be there lees meer...
I am Leo Harks, I live in Alphen aan den Rijn. As a Clinical Psychologist, I work as a coordinating practitioner at Genderhealthcare. I was involved in the entire treatment lees meer...
Catharina Anastasia was born and raised in Frisian. She is one of the founders of Genderhealthcare. She attended Gymnasium at Beyers Naude in Leeuwarden and studied as a teacher lees meer...
Luiza de Oliveira Ferraz is one of the founders of Genderhealthcare together with Catharina Anastasia and works as financial director. She chose this path because she believes so lees meer...
My name is Meike van IJzendoorn (she/her) and I am a procesmanager, policy officer, complaints officer and supporter of the client council. I have been working with great pleasure since lees meer...
My name is Thije, I am 20 years old and my pronouns are they/them. I study autonomous art at the HKU, where I am trained as a visual artist. For me lees meer...
My name is Reggie, my preferred pronouns are (she/her) - (xij) and I identify as "Feminine entity". I come from the Rotterdam area, and that's goodlees meer...
My name is Sietse, my pronouns are he/him. It took me some time to realize that I am transgender. I only realized this late due to lack lees meer...
If you are a professional, you can view all our vacancies online on our linkedin pagina.
If you are a client: email us at info@genderhealthcare.com or make an appointment on our website for more information.
Pauline van Uijen
Hi, I’m Pauline (she/her) and I’ve been working at Genderhealthcare since February 2023. I’ve started working here because I wanted to help improve the all-round quality of healthcare for the transgender community and this organization has the ambition to do just that. Here, I help people during the diagnostics fase until after they’ve finished their medical transitional journey. During the time that the client and I (and sometimes other GGZ specialists) work together I also help with emotional regulation, depression, anxiety and avoidant behavioural problems. I hope to create a safe space for every client to feel comfortable to explore their emotional vulnerability and find the strengths in themselves to tackle their challenges. My style of working is more informal, though personalised for each client to meet everyone’s needs equally.
Before Genderhealthcare I worked in Forensic GGZ as a psychologist and I’ve worked in several GGZ clinics before that (as a substitute social therapist). In that line of work I gained experience in psychoses, addiction, anxety, depression, ADHD, personality disorders and agression regulation. In my spare time I like to spend time with my 7 pets, such as walking with my dog. I also enjoy spending time with loved ones, reading manga, watching anime, playing games and changing my hair colour.
Biyanka Jagbandhan
Hey, I am Biyanka (she/her) and am one of the basic psychologists at Genderhealthcare. Earlier, I gained work experience at a SGGZ outpatient clinic and further, I volunteer at the Anxiety, Compulsion & Phobia Foundation (ADF Foundation) 1 day a week till date. My interest in gender care started around my high school days after I accidentally clicked on a video of Jessie Maya, a youtuber, who captured her entire transition process on camera. For me, it is important for every person to feel heard and seen. I hope I can offer you a trusted space where you can comfortably tell your story and we can look together at how to deal with the challenges on your path. Furthermore, you can also just come to me if you are looking for a good book, series or film, and otherwise I always have a fact about theme parks and attractions on offer.
Ezgi Nur Cinar
I am a psychologist with more than 2 years of experience working with various psychological problems. I am graduating from the Master’s programme in Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University in August 2022. I am very passionate about psychology and making a positive impact in the lives of individuals. I describe myself as someone who is fun, empathetic and kind. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, mostly outdoors by exploring new places in the Netherlands. I also do yoga and pilates and play the violin. I really enjoy helping more and more people within Genderhealthcare by working with great open-minded colleagues! My main motivation for working here is to empower people to be authentic and face their challenges. I believe we all deserve to feel freer. I also believe that we will feel freer if we can express who we really are!
Ednei Soares
I am a Brazilian psychologist with 18 years of experience in Europe and South America. I am speak English, French, Portuguese and Dutch and have an upcoming PhD in psychology and philosophy. In my research, I discuss contemporary psychoanalytic claims about sexual and gender identity, including transgender sexuality. I am passionate about my work as a therapist. I am also always passionate about supporting people in overcoming problematic situations in their life trajectories, whether they suffer from various mental disorders or not. During my professional experience, I have always worked on integrating clinical practice in different mental health organisations combined with research. In addition, I am fascinated by different cultures, languages and music. My goal is to improve mental health well-being by creating good conditions to overcome problems and mental disorders through a good therapeutic atmosphere.
Dionysia Papavasilieou
My name is Dionysia and I am a basic psychologist with experience in treating mental health issues such as neuroses, depression and anxiety disorders. I joined Gendehealthcare in June 2022 and my experience has been more than positive. I now help people every day who want to start their transition. I have learned how important it is for them to be heard and what other steps need to be taken to further improve transgender care. It is a great privilege and gives me a lot of motivation to be part of their journey and help them achieve their goals and desires. I believe it is important to build an honest, trustworthy and safe treatment environment where all people can be themselves, freely share their concerns, hopes and dreams, and find and love their true selves.
Barbara Loomans
Barbara Loomans is an integer, sensitive, incisive and creative psychologist who has extensive experience in counselling people going through deep profound changes in their lives in the areas of identity, self-image, trauma (EMDR), (complex) grief and loss. She aims to put people in touch with who they are deep inside. Her mission is to enlighten the lives of people who are suffering.
Barbara Loomans is an international psychologist who works with people from different countries, languages and cultures. She speaks French, German, English and Dutch and she cares about the LGBTQ+ community. Through her openness and sensitivity, she knows how to touch and connect people with who they really are. Barbara Loomans is married, has two daughters and a dog. She loves travelling to Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland and Indonesia. In her spare time, she writes books about roses and beautiful places on earth that she visits on her travels under the name Barbara Bahtiar.
Daphne van der Zande
My name is Daphne van der Zande and I have been working at Genderhealthcare since March 2023. I started working here because I was looking for a modern organisation that suits my values. When I came across Genderhealthcare, it seemed like a cool organisation to do my bit in. As a psychologist at Genderhealthcare, I assist clients with their medical and social transition, among other things, but there is also a focus on other psychological complaints such as gloominess. My approach can be described as professional and precise, personalised for each client through individual attention, empathy and humour (even if I say so myself). Before this, I spent a few years working with clients with a wide range of psychological complaints, such as anxiety complaints, mood complaints and autism. To deepen my knowledge, I obtained certificates in cognitive behavioural therapy and EMDR. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and do tennis and fitness.
Gerbrich Coehoorn
Hi! I am Gerbrich Coehoorn (they/them) and I’m a psychologist at Genderhealthcare. My passion for the target group of transgender people shows both on a scientific and personal level. For my bachelor’s thesis I did research on the topic ‘gender’ and for my master’s thesis I chose the topic ‘transgender’. My personal relation to the target group of transgender people shows from my active participation within the queer community of Amsterdam, also do I myself identify as non-binary. I work in this healthcare institution with my heart and see it as my mission to use my knowledge and expertise to support and guide the client in this care path.
In my free time I like to do sports, bake, make/listen to music and/or go traveling and explore the world.
Toph Scharpf
My name is Toph Scharpf (who/what/who), I am 24 years old and I live in Rotterdam. After my internship at Genderhealthcare, I will start working here from August as a treating primary psychologist. Creativity and empathy are important values for me in practice. I self-identify as non-binary and have a keen interest in theories and ideas beyond cis-heteronormativity. In practice so far, I could gain experience in diagnostics such as ADHD and some techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy.
Meike van IJzendoorn
Hi I am Meike van IJzendoorn (she/her) and I’m the procesmanager and policy officer at Genderhealthcare.
I have been working at Genderhealthcare since November 2022 with great pleasure. I work behind the scenes at Genderhealthcare as a policy officer. This involves analysing and improving the processes of the care we provide. It is very important to me that Genderhealthcare always continues to develop and I can contribute directly to that from this role!
Besides my work as a policy officer, clients can also come into direct contact with me from my role as complaints officer or client council support officer. When clients want to report something that did not go well in their treatment process, I am the one who contacts them and investigates with them what steps can be taken to resolve or improve.
About me personally: I am 36 and enjoy living in Utrecht. My favourite things to do are travelling around with my self-built camper truck (an old fire truck from Germany) and dancing to solid techno! Of course, I can’t do those two things all year round, so just having dinner with friends or playing with my little nephews is something I also really enjoy doing.
Catharina Anastasia Romanova van Oranje-Nassau
Catharina Anastasia was born and raised in Friesland. She is one of the founders of Genderhealthcare. She did the Gymnasium at the Beyers Naude in Leeuwarden and graduated in two Masters in Business Development and Small Businesses & entrepreneurship at the University of Groningen.
Catharina Anastasia herself has a trans background. In 2016, two years after her last surgery, she founded Gendertalent. She herself had kept somewhat aloof from the transgender community during her transition and had made a career in the IT sector. To this day, this organisation focuses on guiding trans people to work. There, she saw the real needs of transgender people and also realised how different her transition journey had been.
From this need, in the following years, she developed the concept of Genderness, which focuses around care & work for transgender people. Since 2020, she has been working with Luiza de Oliveira Ferraz as directors of Genderness. The new organisations Genderhealthcare and Genderhealthclinic are the first result of this collaboration.
Luiza de Oliveira Ferraz
Luiza de Oliveira Ferraz, along with Catherine Anastasia, is one of the founders of Genderhealthcare and works as its finance director. She chose this path because she believes the community needs support in many ways. She dedicates herself with body and soul to this project so that she can spend all the time needed to enrich the community and not just one individual. Her hobbies are listening to music, being with friends and helping other people.
Lavin Sumesar
My name is Toph Scharpf (who/what/who), I am 24 years old and I live in Rotterdam. After my internship at Genderhealthcare, I will start working here from August as a treating primary psychologist. Creativity and empathy are important values for me in practice. I self-identify as non-binary and have a keen interest in theories and ideas beyond cis-heteronormativity. In practice so far, I could gain experience in diagnostics such as ADHD and some techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy.
Minerva Stamper
My name is Toph Scharpf (who/what/who), I am 24 years old and I live in Rotterdam. After my internship at Genderhealthcare, I will start working here from August as a treating primary psychologist. Creativity and empathy are important values for me in practice. I self-identify as non-binary and have a keen interest in theories and ideas beyond cis-heteronormativity. In practice so far, I could gain experience in diagnostics such as ADHD and some techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy.
Thije Hanssens
My name is Thije, I am 20 years old and my pronouns are die/hun. i am studying autonomous art at the HKU, where I am being trained as a visual artist. For me, almost everything I do is connected to the queer community, especially in Utrecht. I identify as nonbinary, and am now nearing the end of my medical transition.
I am on the client council because I think there is a lot of room for improvement within trans care, especially when it comes to autonomy and inclusivity.
I believe that you can do what you want with your body and what your transition looks like is up to you.
I also think it is important that we as genderhealthcare are mindful of diversity, and I think it is important that marginalised groups do not experience extra burdens through their pathway. I want to be an accessible, warm and safe point of contact for all clients, but am particularly committed to people of colour, neurodiverse people, people with disabilities, nonbinary people and people with difficult home situations.
Reggie Devall
My name is Reggie, my preferred pronouns are (she/her) – (xij) and I identify as a “Feminine entity”. I’m from the Rotterdam area, and it’s quite noticeable. I am clumsy and airheaded, sometimes very direct, but I also have a gentle and sensitive side.
I have a fondness for everything Japanese. The culture, the cuisine, the language(which I learned to speak a little bit myself) and, of course, the anime and games. My favourite anime so far are “Sailor Moon”, “Kiseijū Sei no Kakuritsu” and “Elfen Lied”. Final Fantasy and Pokemon are two of my most loved franchises to this day.
My personal style is soft goth. Lots of black, but basic with minimalist accessories. I am inspired by my surroundings and chosen family. From there, I draw aspects that make up the backbone of me style.
I have a broad taste in music, from classical to death metal. The only things I don’t really listen to are EDM genres like Dubstep and the various Cores. I also enjoy singing in my spare time and often hear that I can do some of it, but that I need practice to get the technique. I would like to see if I can make something of it with help from the musicians around me.
I love animals. I have 2 dogs now, a medium-sized kitten and a dwarf kitten. The dwarfkees I my favourite breed. My wish is to see a horseshoe crab in real life one day. Pandas also seem nice to me actually.
My motivation for the client board:
– There are still loose ends in the grey area of caring for non-binary people.
-I believe there should be encouragement for a more active attitude before and during the process so that it can realistically ease and possibly speed up.
-I believe that walking on eggshells is not the right approach and with a little more directness ideas can be applied in practice.
Sietse Isings
My name is Sietse, my pronouns are he/him. It took some time for me to realise that I am transgender. I only came to this realisation at a late stage due to lack of role models. This is why I think it is important that more and more trans and/or non-binary people are standing up and being open about who they are.
For me, this is one reason why I myself am very much into inclusivity. I myself work as a teacher and mentor of a bridge class as an openly trans person. Regardless of whether a student himself is concerned with his gender identity or not, it does a lot for students to see someone who stands up for who they are. Someone who shows that you are allowed to be who you are. In addition, however, I see how much there is still to be achieved within schools in terms of inclusiveness. This is something I work hard for within my own workplace, but I have also set up a company where I give information/workshops on inclusivity, Queer Academy.
Why I am on the client council is because I feel there is still a lot to be achieved within trans care. Waiting times are long and the waiting time feels like a limbo. Not much is clear and causes a lot of stress. It can then be nice to seek out people and/or activities that deal with queerness. A lot of support can be drawn from this. But often it is also unclear what is there and how to get there. This could, in my opinion, be smoother.
Furthermore, I am very much into music and devour book after book. I am also working on an autobiographical graphic novel myself. Meanwhile, I have been together with my girlfriend for 15 years; together we really love travelling and actually do this far too little.
Anjo van Lieshout
I am Anjo van Lieshout (she/he) and I am a directional practitioner at Genderhealthcare. I started out as a remedial educationalist and later developed further to become a GZ psychologist. I have had my own practice since 1989 in which I conduct research and treat children, adolescents and adults.
I take a holistic view of people and look at a person in relation to his/her environment and history.
For me, body and mind are inseparable. Creating the right energy balance is characteristic of me, which is why I attach great importance to a healthy lifestyle and personal development. In private life, I enjoy walking and cycling in nature and making music.
Steven Matthijsen
My name is Steven Matthijsen and I live in Zeist with my dog Saartje. I enjoy going to the opera, reading all the news and I love philosophising. After I retired, I got involved with Genderhealthcare. I do the second opinions at Genderhealthcare am a director and therefore do the intake interviews and direction interviews.
Leo Harks
I am Leo Harks living in Alphen aan den Rijn. As a clinical psychologist, I work as a director at Genderhealthcare. I am involved in the entire treatment process, including intake interviews, honos+, systemic interviews, heterosexual amnios, MDOs and second opinions. I have a snarky sense of humour and enjoy supervising basic psychologists.