Therapists in Sydney, AU

[Soda]

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry for bothering everyone, and I'm sorry for posting yet another thread about looking for a therapist, but I'm really in need of one (in the Sydney, Australia area).  I've been suffering from gender dysphoria for about 10 years now.  After a lot of thinking over that time, I'm now firmly decided that I want to go ahead with hormone treatment.  I approached my GP for a reference, which she kindly gave me, but apparently that's not good enough for the endocrinologist, so I'm trying to find a therapist with the right qualifications.

I've been to see Dr Patrick Toohey, but after a few sessions, I'm 100% certain that I never want to see him ever again.  I won't go into details, but I just don't like him.  That's just my personal opinion, but I don't feel I can talk to someone I don't like, especially about such personal and private matters.  Anyways, my doctor and I are having trouble finding a different therapist.

I've tried contacting the Gender Centre, which is reasonably close to me, but they won't reply to my emails for some reason.  Maybe they're busy, or maybe my emails are going into their spam folder by accident, I don't know.  Anyway, my doctor telephoned them, but they only gave her the name of Dr Toohey as their only known (and still practicing) qualified therapist.

I'm at my wits end on this.  I can't sleep properly with all the worry, I've become so self-conscious that I'm having trouble going out anywhere, and I'm getting recurring headaches from the stress of it all.  Please, if anyone has any information about therapists I can see, in the Sydney area, please let me know.  (I'd prefer to see a therapist who isn't a psychiatrist, and someone who isn't going to charge me as much, because I'm low-income and I've already lost most my savings paying for Dr Toohey's service.)

(Catherine Sarah posted in another thread about a doctor at Warners Bay.  It's pretty far out of my way, and won't be easy to get to, but if it's my only chance then I'm willing to travel that far if needs be.  If there are no other therapists in Sydney, then does anyone have any contact details for this doctor please?)

Thanks in advance.  I really appreciate any help.

[JoanneL]

Why not visit the Gender Centre ? Have you visited their web site as there is a fair bit of info on it ?

[Soda]

Why not visit the Gender Centre ? Have you visited their web site as there is a fair bit of info on it ?

Thanks for the reply.

I've not visited the centre in person recently, but my doctor has contacted them by telephone and they have told her that they only know of one therapist that is qualified: Dr Toohey.  I've been there in person before, but I don't know if they'd be able to offer me any more information, whether I call, email or turn up in person.  I've also had a pretty thorough look through their website, but I can't find any therapists listed on there.

Thanks for the ideas, anyway.

[Asfsd4214]

I'm in the sydney area too (let me know if you're in the parramatta/western suburbs area).

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can only really say what you've already had indicated to you.

Patrick Toohey appears to be at this time the only psych dealing with gender dysphoria in Sydney, there was Dr Nguy Tuan, but to my knowledge he has ceased working in that capacity to dedicate his energies on more conventional psychiatric care.

I've written on this topic in some of my previous posts, I'll quote...

If you're in the Sydney area I also have had experiences with (accompanying someone else, not seeing them personally):
Dr Patrick Toohey - Real old school, will likely string you along indefinitely and like many of the others I've mentioned will use his qualifications to beat you into submission if you disagree with him.

Disclaimer: Just in case any of the above people want to sue me or something. I'm broke so you won't get anything. Also these are my personal opinions and experiences and should in no way reflect the character of the above mentioned people personally and are purely my perceptions of their methodologies as I honestly saw them at the time.

Unfortunately the only one I know of still doing it is Dr Patrick Toohey. And in my experience, if you're young, you won't be getting a letter any time soon from him and you can expect a lot of "I know better than you" attitudes.

So yeah, it's a really crappy situation. If you wanna talk more by all means let me know and I'd be happy to get in contact with you.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say Toohey diverted discussion of HRT and other physical interventions under the justification of requiring an indefinite time to "paint a picture" or "build a psychodynamic" of your circumstances and "try to get to root causes". Basically intangable waffle that can be maintained for the rest of your life as you line his pocket with your money.

***DISCLAIMER***
Since some of this and other posts I've made could give thoughts of attempting to sue me or this forum for defamation, I feel compelled to make the following statement.

Under NSW jurisdiction, the location of myself and Dr Toohey, it is a under the defamation act 2005 section 31 permissible to make and publish potentially defamatory remarks provided they are written as a statement of opinion and not a statement of fact, and are a matter of public interest.

In using the phrase "a wild guess", and indicating that these viewpoints are in my personal experience, I am indicating that at this time I hold these viewpoints to be my opinion based on admittedly limited interaction with the individual concerned. Nothing I have said should be construed to be fact but only my opinion at this time of writing. And is written and published with an interest of giving the public access to a review and viewpoint based on my first hand opinion and experience.
****************
Sorry for going all lawyer but you can't be too careful.

[Soda]

Patrick Toohey appears to be at this time the only psych dealing with gender dysphoria in Sydney, there was Dr Nguy Tuan, but to my knowledge he has ceased working in that capacity to dedicate his energies on more conventional psychiatric care.

Oh well.  Not good news, that's for sure, but that's definitely not your fault.  And, of course, thank you very much for the information.

I'll have to work something else out then.  I don't know what, but I'll work something out.

If you wanna talk more by all means let me know and I'd be happy to get in contact with you.

Sure.  I don't think I can PM yet, because I've only got three posts, but you're welcome to PM me (if you can... I'm not sure how this site is set up to work in that regard).

Sorry for going all lawyer but you can't be too careful.

Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

[Asfsd4214]

Oh well.  Not good news, that's for sure, but that's definitely not your fault.  And, of course, thank you very much for the information.

I'll have to work something else out then.  I don't know what, but I'll work something out.
Sure.  I don't think I can PM yet, because I've only got three posts, but you're welcome to PM me (if you can... I'm not sure how this site is set up to work in that regard).
Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

I've sent you a PM, if you don't get it let me know.

[Catherine Sarah]

Hi Soda,

Take the bull by the horns and drop into the Gender Centre and ask for an appointment to see their therapist. I'm sure you won't look back. They have one in house. And depending on which Endo you are going to, you should find no problem getting on HRT.

Although, as I understand the Gender Centre's therapist cannot provide a letter to recommend HRT (I may stand to be corrected on that though) you should be able to "haggle/hassle" the Endo into HRT by telling them you are under the Gender Centre supervision.

Yes! I've heard from others that Dr. T is "old school".  You may want to call Dr. L Brash at Warners Bay and see if he is in Sydney at any prescribed time of whether he can recommend a Psych in Sydney apart from Dr. T. Generally speaking, and I use that term liberally. If it's THE letter you are looking for, yes, a Psych is essential. However if you want to sort things out and see just how normal you are; then a therapist is just as good, if not better. If and when you are ready for THE letter, you can take all your "root causes" to the Psych and say, "OK!! Where's my letter? "

@Asfsd. Hummm Sounds like you are an old devotee of the Dr. T.   

From memory, there is another Psych in Sydney; a Dr. Margaret "Someone" Sorry I can't remember her name. I think she works out of Concord Hospital.

However. If it's HRT you are after, see if your GP will give you a referral to Dr. Hayes. I'm sure you won't look back there either.

Dr. Brash's number is 4954 2455. Dr. Hayes number is 9966 8556.

Good luck and let us know how things went for you.

Be safe, well and happy

Lotsa huggs
Catherine

[caitlin_adams]

Hi Soda! You're not a bother.

I live and work in Sydney and have a supportive GP, psychiatrist and endocrinologist. Personally I've found The Gender Centre rather poor at returning emails and phone calls (I've tried several times). They definitely have a role to play in supporting people with gender dysphoria resulting from gender incongruence but by no means are they the only, nor are they necessarily the most effective, channel for support.

If you're interested in therapy (and I'd recommend it as HRT is a big step for anyone)  there are far more options for therapy in Sydney than you would expect based upon some of the information that is out there.

There are several private psychiatrists who have general practices but have experience treating those with gender dysphoria. One that I can highly recommend is Dr Lam-Po-Tang  at the Red Tree Practice (http://redtreepractice.com.au/). A consultation (after Medicare rebate) will leave you about $90 out of pocket, so it's expensive, but workable. Dr Lam-Po-Tang also is aware of other practising psychiatrists who have had patients with gender dysphoria and may be able to refer you elsewhere.

The psychiatrists there are very professional and without prejudice when it comes to gender incongruence. Their approach is to diagnose gender dysphoria and ensure that there is no co-morbidity (shizophrenia, etc) that may serve as a contraindication for treatment.

Once that's been established they then take a very pragmatic approach to transition and do not act as gatekeepers. They can refer you to Dr Hayes who is Sydney's pre-eminent endocrinologist for those undertaking gender transition. He's a gentleman too.

If you are just looking for hormones there is a GP (possibly more) at the Taylor Square Private Clinic (http://www.tspc.com.au/) that will prescribe and manage HRT for you. Whilst they are not specialist endocrinologists  they are comfortable in managing HRT and referring you to an endocrinologist if necessary. I have not had personal experience with them, but I know someone here on Susan's Place has.

I think given that gender dysphoria is relatively uncommon and given that some professionals are completely incapable of handling such cases as they are heavily prejudiced, people tend to seek out services specifically catering to those with gender dysphoria and can ignore mainstream professionals who I believe are often equally, or better, able to provide support.

(Drs Andronicus and Robertson at the Darlinghurst Medical Centre are also very capable and they bulk bill - 213-219 Darlinghurst Road Darlinghurst NSW 2010‎ - 8302 1111)

[Jenny07]

I can vouch for Dr Andronicus as I have seen her many times about normal as well as other issues that have been difficult to talk about. She is very capiable.

Hope this helps as I plan to see her soon to talk about things.

Jen

[luna nyan]

I was a patient of Dr. Anna Lee in Balmain for a while.  The last time I saw her was over 9 years ago though, and her last report on me was the ok for hormones.  She's a general psych so I can't tell you for certain whether she still deals with gender counseling, but her name is still on ahpra (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency).  Just a note that she's private and you will need to pay a gap fee.

I can thoroughly recommend Dr Hayes as an endo.  He's up to date, and very accommodating if he thinks you're sorted out mentally - when I discussed with him re: low dose HRT to mollify the dysphoria he understood what I meant.  Once again, private, and a gap fee applies.  His rooms are in St Leonards and Mona Vale.

I've been to the Taylor Square Clinic - they are quite T friendly.  I'm not so sure they're so keen on prescribing hormones these days - I was there earlier this year and got passed on to Dr Hayes.  I think one of the GPs there has a special interest in gender issues so they should be able to hook you up with appropriate specialists.

Hope this helps.

[Catherine Sarah]

WOW!!

Thanks Caitlin and luna. You certainly know Sydney better than I do. But I guess that's what you get for being a 'Coastie'. 

It'd be nice to catch up for coffee or dinner one day.

Huggs
Catherine

[Asfsd4214]

I'd recommend taylor square practice also. Dr Vlahakis there is the main provider on gender issues. I haven't always agreed with him but he's straightforward with you and honest.

[luna nyan]

Thanks Caitlin and luna. You certainly know Sydney better than I do. But I guess that's what you get for being a 'Coastie'. 

I get lost every time I go up the Coast *lol*
I've been living in Sydney for a long time and have kept rough track of what's going on in the community even though I'm not really thinking of doing anything much further than low dose HRT at this point.

What used to be a really great resource was the good ->-bleeped-<- guide, but that's been dead for years as far as updates on information is concerned.  If I remember what happened correctly, a disagreement on activism caused a schism in the community and that sort of killed the site as far as updates were concerned.

[Soda]

Wow!   Thanks for all the information!  I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to slowly read through all of this information, and I'll post back later to let you know how things are going.

Thank you again!

[mementomori]

anyone know anyone good from brisbane , whats Dr Malcolm Foxcroft  like ?

[Asfsd4214]

anyone know anyone good from brisbane , whats Dr Malcolm Foxcroft  like ?

No experience with Foxcroft.

The gladstone medical centre is a great place to go. If dr gale bearman still works there I highly recommend her.

Dr helen hoey is the only remotely good therapist I've had experiences with in brisbane. The others I've seen I am less positive towards.

I wrote about more on the subject on brisbane therapists in one of the posts I quoted before, if you go to the linked thread I put up some info there.

Hope this helps.

[mementomori]

No experience with Foxcroft.

The gladstone medical centre is a great place to go. If dr gale bearman still works there I highly recommend her.

Dr helen hoey is the only remotely good therapist I've had experiences with in brisbane. The others I've seen I am less positive towards.

I wrote about more on the subject on brisbane therapists in one of the posts I quoted before, if you go to the linked thread I put up some info there.

Hope this helps.

hey thanks dr gale has stopped working due to major illness

[Kadri]

I didn't have any problem with Dr. T, and I had broken all the "rules". I got hormones without going through any psychotherapy. I admitted my suicide fantasies and hopeless depression. I told him that  i only felt mentally female a year before transitioning (at 35, now I am 37).

In addition we talked about my attraction to women, not getting on with my father in my early teens, and sexual gratification from wearing women's clothing in the early stages of coming out; all the things that are supposed to be wrong in the "old school" diagnosis of transsexualism. I got a bit annoyed that he seemed to have forgotten something once, but otherwise, I really enjoyed talking to him. he also made me aware of things about myself I hadn't really considered before. Done in three visits.

The disclaimer for me is that i had already lived nine months full-time and had changed my name before I went to see him.

[Asfsd4214]

hey thanks dr gale has stopped working due to major illness

Very sad to hear that. I knew she was sick for a while, grape vine told me chronic fatigue, but I don't really know and it's not really my place to speculate.

I wish her well though, she's a really nice human being.

I didn't have any problem with Dr. T, and I had broken all the "rules". I got hormones without going through any psychotherapy. I admitted my suicide fantasies and hopeless depression. I told him that  i only felt mentally female a year before transitioning (at 35, now I am 37).

In addition we talked about my attraction to women, not getting on with my father in my early teens, and sexual gratification from wearing women's clothing in the early stages of coming out; all the things that are supposed to be wrong in the "old school" diagnosis of transsexualism. I got a bit annoyed that he seemed to have forgotten something once, but otherwise, I really enjoyed talking to him. he also made me aware of things about myself I hadn't really considered before. Done in three visits.

The disclaimer for me is that i had already lived nine months full-time and had changed my name before I went to see him.

How long did it take to get the OK?

The psychiatric poor memory syndrome I think a lot of the time is just a kind of mindgame, they want to see if you change your position.

After all, they write everything down, it's not like they have any excuse to forget the stuff we go over repeatedly.

[caitlin_adams]

My psychiatrist hasn't forgotten, or claimed to have forgotten anything, I find he's highly attentive. I really don't like the idea of psychiatrists playing mind games, it seems counter-productive. I feel that tust and honesty is paramount in the patient / therapist relationship.