Choosing a therapist/doctor.

[Equestriaghoul]

I posted this question on another website a few days ago, but I haven't gotten any answers, which kind of annoys me because the people there are usually pretty helpful.

I want to start as soon as possible and so I need to know. I'll copy and past the question here.


Hello, I could use a little bit of advice. There are still a few things that I need to do before I can see a therapist, but I want to go ahead and get information so that I'll know what to do when it is time.

I was told that there are different standards of care that therapists(and doctors?) go by when helping you transition, and I was told that there was one that should be avoided, because there are a lot of unnecessary hoops to go through. I think it was called he Harry Benjamin standards of care(but I'm not sure.), and that there was another set of standards that I should look for(I don't know what they're called though). And apparently, some standards of care only help transsexuals(people with binary genders), which could be a problem for me, because I'm not sure if I could be considered binary or not. I know that some non-binary
people take blockers with low doses of hormones(I'm guessing to avoid the nasty side effects that would come with taking just blockers), and I'm not sure exactly how far I want to go, but I do want that at the very least, so I need to find a therapist who will help me.


What should I look for? Is there any way to tell if a therapist would be willing to help me or not?
And what standards of care should I look for?

Thank you for your time.

P.S. I found this post talking about red flags that the therapist isn't a very good one.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,162266.0.html

[Rachel]

Hi,

You want WPATH 7 standard of care.

Harry Benjamin SOC is outdated and you do not want that one.

I would look for a gender therapist. You may want to call a LGBT support center and ask for a list or try Psychology Today and put in your location and gender therapist.

Most Doctors start HRT as a low dose. Usually the dose is increased in time.

You do not want to self medicate. The risks are too high.

[JoanneB]

Hi,

You want WPATH 7 standard of care.

Harry Benjamin SOC is outdated and you do not want that one.

I would look for a gender therapist. You may want to call a LGBT support center and ask for a list or try Psychology Today and put in your location and gender therapist.

Most Doctors start HRT as a low dose. Usually the dose is increased in time.

You do not want to self medicate. The risks are too high.

+1
Also which gender clinic can make a difference. Especially "inside the beltway"

I would suggest contacting a local, or as local as possible, state/regional TG organization for a referral. The Psychology Today "Doc Find" is OK. Trust but verify just what sort of "TG" experience they have above and beyond LGB clients. There is a BIG difference between a for real gender therapist and others.

[Equestriaghoul]

Hi,

You want WPATH 7 standard of care.

Harry Benjamin SOC is outdated and you do not want that one.

I would look for a gender therapist. You may want to call a LGBT support center and ask for a list or try Psychology Today and put in your location and gender therapist.

Most Doctors start HRT as a low dose. Usually the dose is increased in time.

You do not want to self medicate. The risks are too high.

Who said anything about self medicating?