Has anyone NOT had therapy

[makinmagic]

Here is the thing, I have been on HRT for 6 years, living full time for 3 or 4, had FFS and breast augmentation and generally 100% passable and actually quite pretty. Hopefully, I will be done with the whole thing by the end of this year, working on scheduling SRS right now with McGinn.
I went to therapist for a sole purpose of acquiring an SRS letter, my Dr. was very nice about it and it only took 3 sessions, he didn't really have much experience in writing those letters, but did it according to the standards specified at Dr. McGinn website. Now I am trying to schedule an online session with the other therapist for a second letter. She has been literally mortified when I told her I never really had "therapy". She said that no surgeon will take me even with 2 letters of recommendation without being in therapy for at least a year. She also subtly hinted that she is not sure if she's gonna "pass" me after our sessions.
I am a bit scared. Don't want this to ruin everything... any advice?

[xchristine]

I was going to get therapy...
But my psychiatrist has told me to visit once every three .
Months. 
And he was made aware I want to be papered asap

I sure hope that I won't be refused

[SunKat]

I don't mean to be flippant, but I'd say find a different therapist. 
Perhaps I'm seeing subtext where it doesn't exist... but I'd be leery of any therapist who is "mortified" that you've spent 6 years transitioning without having seen a therapist.  It's almost as if they're saying that you're screwed up for not being more screwed up over this.  If you have been coping well and transition has been like "coming home" for you, then that is all the more reason why this is right for you.

You may still end up being in therapy for a year while everyone does their medical due diligence to keep their malpractice insurer happy... but don't do therapy with someone who is surprised that you are doing well on your own.

[big kim]

I'm in the UK and had a 3 monthly visit to Charing Cross hospital to talk with the psychiatrist.I don't know anyone in the UK who saw a gender therapist

[Cindy]

As Sunkat said find another therapist.

Some people require therapy to help them and others don't. As you appear to know from your post, gender problems and life problems are separate. If you don't have life problems and you are living happily and successfully as a woman in normal society then you would appear to have no issues that need therapy.

McGinn isn't concerned if you have had extensive therapy or not, she wants clearance that you are not a cookie that has no idea of the consequences of what you are doing and that you will come back and sue her for castrating you etc. She does the same for medical problems, if any are picked up in the work-up she wants clearance by experts in that area so that she is satisfied that she isn't working on you inappropriately.

Without wishing to cause unpleasant debate, the two schools of psychiatric thought of continual therapy or therapy as you require it -as long as you have no co-morbidities- may be based more on cash flow than patient care. Unfortunately it does happen that the patients who do need care are the ones who think they do not. Hence the dilemma.

Good luck with your surgery. BTW you may wish to retain contact with your 'good' therapist for post surgical discussion; that is often a crisis time, even for extremely well adjusted woman having GRS.

Cindy

[Northern Jane]

It was an awfully long time ago and there was no 'requirement' for therapy, not even any 'standard of care' in 1970 but my primary doctor (a gynecologist) suggested a "psychiatric evaluation" would likely be a requirement before any surgeon would operate. It took one day, a whole day, and the following day I had a letter of support.

[Asfsd4214]

In my experience, almost all therapists always say everyone needs more therapy. Funny coincidence that it lines their pockets too.

I've had therapists tell me many times that my health depends on seeing them, and I've ignored them several times and so far always ended up better in the long run than I felt seeing them.

Some people do benefit from therapy, but don't be afraid to avoid them and say no if it feels like it's making it worse.

As for the one year requirement, most psychs say that. In my experience, every psych has their own interpretations of the SoC and all of them are immutable and unquestionable and rarely ever are they actually true. What I'm saying is, they aren't doing the surgery, let the surgeon decide the requirements. My experience has been psychs believe things become true simply by them saying it.

[peky]

Here is the thing, I have been on HRT for 6 years, living full time for 3 or 4, had FFS and breast augmentation and generally 100% passable and actually quite pretty. Hopefully, I will be done with the whole thing by the end of this year, working on scheduling SRS right now with McGinn.
I went to therapist for a sole purpose of acquiring an SRS letter, my Dr. was very nice about it and it only took 3 sessions, he didn't really have much experience in writing those letters, but did it according to the standards specified at Dr. McGinn website. Now I am trying to schedule an online session with the other therapist for a second letter. She has been literally mortified when I told her I never really had "therapy". She said that no surgeon will take me even with 2 letters of recommendation without being in therapy for at least a year. She also subtly hinted that she is not sure if she's gonna "pass" me after our sessions.
I am a bit scared. Don't want this to ruin everything... any advice?

Hi, Magic,

Use your "powers" drop her like a hot potato.

My own experience is as follows:

2 h session with a very nice psychiatrist = letter 1. We talked about just everything, including the pourpose of life the universe and everything...LOL

A 30 minutes session with a psycologiest the psychaitrist reccommend = letter 2.

[Sammy]

Well, I could probably qualify as one not having a therapy, but that basically because having therapy had no effect on obtaining hormones for me. I was lucky to learn quite fast that my psychiatrist is not going to refer me to anyone, wont diagnose me nor prescribe me hormones - because he had no idea what to do with me. Yet, he insisted that I be seeing him every week so we could talk about those oh-so-many issues in my life. When I realised that this has taken me as far away from GD issues as could be possible, I dropped him. Now, I have another therapist, I am seeing her twice per month or depending on how I feel - she is fine with it - and I almost feel like I do not need this, perhaps. Perhaps I do - I have not decided yet .
However, my endo insisted that I do something about my diagnosis - basically she wants me to get that ICM-10 code F64.0 from a certified psych, which would make things easier for her and for me too - in the long run (or it would make my life extremely complicated.. ). So I have been looking into F64.0 and getting a bit sceptical about it... It says "The transsexual identity has been present persistently for at least two years" - so I am worrying if that would mean that the psych would have to monitor me for two years to establish whether it is so, or he would take my words? Could this mean like another set of mandatory therapy for two years? I have no answers yet, but I hope to clear this out soon.

[makinmagic]

Thank you! Yes, I dropped that therapist, good I haven't paid her yet. Found a good one who's not bothered by the fact that I am coping just fine without therapy.
So excited about the final step I am about to take!

[Nov413]

That's fantastic! I'm glad things worked out for you!
As someone who hasn't had therapy and straight does not want to if it can be helped at all, this is great news!

[Athena]

Wait you mean that you don't need therapy to go onto hrt ? Even in Canada ?
I know I do need therapy before going to far down the rabbit hole but this is an interesting development. I thought that maybe after 3 months of therapy you might get a recommendation for hrt. But if I can start getting my levels checked and to start working on laying out a regime as I start therapy is actually comforting.
Even at my lowest and question myself on whether this is the right journey for me, having female genitalia would still be preferable  or even at the absolute worst a non issue.