ALERT CONTENT PLACEHOLDER

About Us

Location

Toronto General Hospital
Munk Building – 11th Floor, Room 100


Contact

Phone: 416 340 4800 ext. 5655

Referral Fax: 416 340 4687

Hours

Monday – Friday
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
By appointment only

Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours


Referrals

Patients need a referral from your doctor or transplant coordinator to see a psychiatrist, mental health nurse or social worker from the Transplant Psychosocial Team. Usually patients will be contacted by either a coordinator or a receptionist with the appointment time. If the patient is from out of town, we will try our best to schedule around another appointment at Toronto General. Patients are usually seen within two to four weeks of the referral. If the referring doctor feels the visit is more urgent, patients could be seen sooner. The patient can call their transplant coordinator if they do not receive information about an appointment within two weeks.

Please note that clinic appointments may be virtual visits. The clinic team will let you know what type of appointment is appropriate for your care. Learn more about virtual visits at UHN »

What We Do

The Transplant Psychosocial Team at UHN consists of psychiatrists, social workers, mental health nurses and a psychiatric nurse practitioner. This team supports living organ donors, patients who are being assessed or waiting for a transplant and patients who have received a transplant and are experiencing distress related to the donation or transplant. The services include assessment, support, coordination of care, and counselling related to the transplant or organ donation experience. The transplant journey can be challenging at times for both patients and their caregivers. Our team can help to facilitate referrals to local supports for caregivers of transplant patients.

  • Psychosocial Team Can Help
    The Psychosocial
    Team Can Help
    Psychosocial Team Can Help
    The Psychosocial Team Can Help

Coping with a Transplant

Whether you are beginning your transplant journey or currently living with an organ transplant, it is important to remember that recovery is a lifelong journey. While transplant is a life-saving treatment, it is normal for patients and family members to experience stress and a range of emotions. It is important to be aware of some of the social, emotional, financial, and physical health-related stressors you may face while waiting for a transplant and after your transplant. You can increase your ability to cope with stress by:

  • Being informed about what lies ahead from an emotional perspective,
  • Learning ways to manage your physical and mental health, and
  • Knowing how and when to reach out for help.

Related Links:
Coping with a transplant

How to Prepare

For pre-transplant appointments with a social worker, you will need to bring at least one support person with you. For appointments with psychiatry and mental health nurses, you will generally be seen alone for your initial assessment.

  • Bring
    • List of all medications you are currently taking and any past psychiatric medications you have taken.
    • A list of past or present psychiatric or addiction services you have used. They include counsellors, therapists, and support groups.
  • Social Work Assessment
    • Make note of your current drug coverage. Be aware of what your current drug coverage is and whether it is private or provincial.
    • Think about who you will appoint as your Power of Attorney (POA). Your Power of Attorney is the person who will be making your medical decisions in the event that you are incapacitated or unable to communicate.
    • Identify your support persons. They can be your spouse, family, children and/or friends.
  • Self-report Tools
    You may be given self-report tools to fill out before or during your appointment. These scales provide us with feedback on your current mood, anxiety, physical health symptoms, and lifestyle factors.
  • Appointment Length
    our first appointment can take 60 to 90 minutes. Follow-up appointments usually take from 45 minutes to an hour.

Learn more about what you can expect when you have a clinic appointment.

Our Team

Meet Our Team

You will meet with psychiatrists, social workers, mental health nurses and a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

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