RLE vs. therapy

[Arch]

Most of us go to a therapist and get the letter.  Pretty easy unless you have other issues the therapist wants you to work through first.  That isn't very common though, and I think you'd already know if you have other issues.

Heh. I knew I had other issues, but I had no idea how bad things had gotten or how well I'd learned to bury my problems since childhood. Sometimes therapy can be very...illuminating.

I guess the RLE is a trial by fire...not so much to show that you can live as your real self--how many of us are able to "pass" before actual transition?--but to give you a chance to suffer enough of society's slings and arrows that you get a glimpse of how hard this path can be. And you get a chance to change your mind before you take the first step toward changing your body.

JohnAlex, some therapists will meet with you once a month or once every two weeks (thus saving you money), but most will want the process to stretch for the full three months or even longer. If you feel that you don't need therapy, and if you can clarify the doctor's expectations, you might still decide that RLE is a win. In the meantime, have you looked into low-cost therapy options?

[JohnAlex]

Therapy is covered through my insurance.  It would only cost me a $15 copay each meeting.  So it's not the cost.  but more, just because I don't feel like I have other issues that I would need to see a therapist. and I don't feel comfortable just opening up to strangers. unless it's online like here, lol.
I mean, I could do it, I was going to do it because I thought first seeing a therapist was the only way.  but now that I have another option, I would much prefer that one.

I guess I'll email my doctor to clarify some things, and then see where I'm at.