Thinking about going private.

[MRH]

So I mentioned in my last post that I was with the gender clinic last year but they discharged me because I had/have some complex mental health issues but they informed me that when I was ready to come back they would put me at the top of the waiting list.
They have not honoured this promise and now, after all the work I put in for them, they can't see me for a year. So I'm thinking about going private. I don't know if any of these questions are daft or not but how do I go about doing that? I assume I need to find a therapist who deals with gender issues but I've had a look around and there doesnt appear to be many in West Yorkshire so if any of you in are West Yorkshire and are going privately can you please PM me.
For people who have gone private how many sessions did it take before you could get on hormones? Are there more benefits to going private (other than how long it takes)? How much am I looking at spending roughly?
Thanks

[FTMDiaries]

... in which case, you've just answered my question from the other thread about other GICs in the area. I'd imagine you're trying to get into Leeds, and their waiting times are really long at the moment. The same problem is happening in London: they reckon it's because of those documentaries I mentioned previously.

Here's a list of all the NHS GICs in England, in case you'd like to try any of the others (there are three in the North): http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Transhealth/Pages/local-gender-identity-clinics.aspx

Like I mentioned in the other thread, private therapy is £150-£200 per session and the number of sessions depends to a certain extent on you. You can expect to spend around £550 (over a 3-month period or so) for a minimum of 2 therapy sessions and at least 1 Endo session. But it does depend on your individual case.

I found a private therapist by Googling 'Gender Therapist UK'. Have a look at the first page or so of results, see which ones sound good to you, ask more questions if you like. I found one I liked the sound of, and I emailed them a potted history of my life. They came back to me with some suggestions and an appointment date. I'll be honest, I haven't been there yet - I'm still trying my last-ditch attempt at the NHS route.

Make sure anyone you choose is qualified and able to offer the type of treatment you need. There are plenty of counsellors out there who are happy to talk to you about your gender issues, but they're not able to prescribe any hormones (they need to be a doctor, such as a psychiatrist, to do that) - so please be careful about that.

Also, please ask your PCT about funding private therapy. You might be able to organise it without putting your hand in your pocket.

[MRH]

Thanks very much for your reply (both on this post and my previous one). I'm still trying to get my head around things at the moment so I'm gonna give it a few days to sink in and then look at therapists in the area.

[FTMDiaries]

No worries - if you have more questions, please do give us a shout or feel free to PM me when you've digested all this.

After waiting 7 months without success for my referral to be processed, I did my research last month and was lucky enough to find another GIC within commuting distance. They've just sent me an appointment for next month. If you want to know how I did it, let me know.