GeMS offers consultations, assessments, and care to children, teens, and young adults. This process differs on the patient’s age.
For those 9 years old and younger: The GeMS-Youth (GeMS-Y) program offers consultations to gender-diverse youth and their families, a play therapy assessment, discussion of specific and general gender issues in young children, and assistance accessing resources in the community.
For those 10 to 25 years old: We offer comprehensive psychological and medical assessments, and individualized treatment plans. We ask that the patient be in individual therapy, which we will help to facilitate if they don’t have a therapist.
Please note: Our staff provides mental health services and support for patients throughout care in GeMS, but we are unable to provide ongoing therapy or emergency services. If you or your child feel unsafe, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for timely care.
New patient information
- crisis care in GeMS
- GeMS annotated bibliography for youth and teens
- GeMS puberty resources
- gender resources for parents, caregivers, and clinicians
- guidelines for finding a therapist
In-person appointments
We ask for any adult attending a visit at Boston Children’s please have a photo ID on them. Adults may be asked to show photo ID prior to entering the hospital.
Mental health process
At GeMS, every patient has a medical provider and a mental health provider who work together and with the rest of our team to deliver comprehensive care. You and your child will meet with both of these health care professionals throughout the course of treatment.
As part of our comprehensive gender program, we provide a variety of options for medical transition if desired by the patient. Every approach is individualized. Some of the agents we prescribe include puberty blockers, testosterone, and estrogen. The links provided in our patient resources page provide more detailed information on these approaches.