^Lol, you actually did get the part about everyone sitting in a circle and introducing themselves pretty right.
I often joke about Trans Family being like "Hi, my name is ___, and I've been addicted to estrogen for ___ months." :p
And yes, I did used to go to Trans Family all the time. I haven't been able to go recently because I just moved from Cleveland to Toledo, but yeah, that's more or less what the group is like, is basically people will introduce themselves as you go around the circle, and then they'll talk about whatever's on their mind, any questions they want to ask everyone if there's something they need help with transition-wise, or just talk about how the last month has been if they're further along. And then after the meeting they will usually go out to meet somewhere for fun, in a less-serious environment. (Although I don't know about the status of this after-meeting social thing, because their usual hangout, Bounce Night Club, just closed.) Trans Family is mostly made up of older-transitioning trans women, there's usually 3 or 4 younger girls there, and occasionally a few trans guys but they seem to come and go sporadically. It's a really nice group of people, though, I've made a lot of friends there, so it should be a good place to go first to get some advice from people who've been through all of it. Trans Family meets on the second Saturday of every month from 2:00 to 5:00 at the Cleveland LGBT center, and then has an annual picnic, Halloween party, and various other events.
There's also an informal meet-up group that isn't exclusively about trans issues, it's more just people who happen to be trans or trans allies meeting up to make friendships and talk about whatever, with no formal structure. It's called TransCleveland Social Group, and it meets on the first Saturday of every month at 7:30 at a restaurant in west Clevleand called Latitude 41. The group that goes there is much more diverse... younger, older, trans girls, trans guys, allies, etc.
Psychotherapy, at least in my experience with Debbie, really isn't the "being grilled" treatment that shows up in the movies where you're sitting and the doctor is taking notes and listening to you talk. It's more of a conversational format. They'll ask you why you came, you can tell them, and they'll ask you some questions based on that... when did it start, how much distress does it cause you, do you have a good support network of family and friends, how it makes you feel, things of that nature. And then after that, usually it's more a matter of bringing your own concerns in to the meeting, and asking questions, and talking about what's happened, maybe using some stories about what happened in your life that made you feel this way, and the therapist will basically hold a conversation with you about it, asking questions, maybe asking for some clarity based on the things they know, and sometimes giving you actual advice, especially when you ask for it. She encourages you to be as honest as possible, and as open as possible, so it really doesn't feel like some high-stress high pressure environment where the therapist is this expert sitting above you judging you and waiting to pass a verdict, it's more like talking problems out with the advice of a VERY wise friend. Don't be afraid of it. Psychotherapy has always been an uplifting experience for me, something that helps me to find clarity when I have a lot of confusing thoughts mixing my mind up.
