First steps?

[Yasuda1986]

So I am probably transgender MtF. What is a good way to get started? I am not sure if I can afford of a gender therapist since we are still paying off my cancer treatments. What are some other things I can do while I wait for us to be able to afford to go see one?

[Christy82]

I would suggest looking through the forums and doing some research.  You will find some very helpful people on here that can help out.  I would like to point out that no one can take the place of a therapist, but maybe you can talk with your doctor.

[Yasuda1986]

Well I guess this is what I expected to hear. A gender therapist is what I would like. How much will that cost?

I have tried doing research and read many stories, but there are a lot of different stories and I have found maybe two or three are sound like mine.

[MacG]

The price of a therapy session can vary. Without insurance, mine would be $110/session I think.
I know there are therapists who  work on a sliding scale basis.

As for how many sessions, and how often? Depends on your situation.

Starting with reading and interacting with this forum is a great idea. You could also see if there's a support or social trans* group local to you.

I also suggest you take occasional breaks from thinking about this all the time (if needed). It can easily get overwhelming.

[chefskenzie]

You can check with your local LGBT center.  If you have one they may have resources that you can qualify for.  If you say you are probably MtF trans, then you do need therapy.  Maybe see if you could afford a online therapist to help you sort through your feelings.  Also many states have a Mental Health System that offers counseling at little to no charge.  It is a starting point.

[MugwortPsychonaut]

You can check with your local LGBT center.  If you have one they may have resources that you can qualify for.  If you say you are probably MtF trans, then you do need therapy.  Maybe see if you could afford a online therapist to help you sort through your feelings.  Also many states have a Mental Health System that offers counseling at little to no charge.  It is a starting point.

This! Yes! In most progressive cities, TBLG* resources are aplenty. We have a lot of them here in Philly. I don't know where I would be without them. I got set up with a superb therapist who sees me for very, very cheap.

*Let's take over the acronym!

[Eveline]

Morgan, what major city are you near? If you're comfortable sharing, I'll do some digging online.

[Yasuda1986]

I live in Zephyrhills. So I live near Tampa.

[Eveline]

Morgan, I found this gender therapist near you, and she's ITCA board certified, which is good:

http://trans.alifematters.com/about/

Her office is in St. Pete, but she does a therapy group in Tampa as well. She may also be able to recommend someone closer to you...

[FTMax]

There are also very cost effective therapists that are online based as well!