Therapists vs Gender Therapists

[Marly]

dunno if it'll help. But I found my therapist  on Laura's Playground site. They are listed state and city:
http://www.lauras-playground.com/gender_therapists.htm

[KimSails]

dunno if it'll help. But I found my therapist  on Laura's Playground site. They are listed state and city:
http://www.lauras-playground.com/gender_therapists.htm

I found my therapist on Laura's too! She has decades of experience with transgender people and has made that the focus of her practice.  Her experience, and contacts in the trans community, have been a huge help.

Years ago, I went to a non-gender therapist. She wanted to "cure" me -- "You just need to find some buddies to hang out with".  Then she was convinced I was gay, even though I told her many times that I was not attracted to men.

Regardless, it is MOST important to find a therapist that works well with you and is open to helping you exploring your gender.

Kim 

[kelly_aus]

Most of what I discussed with my therapist I could have done with a non-specialist therapist - it was just a lifetimes worth of baggage.. But, my gender specialist was able to make me see how much of it was wrapped up in my denial of who I really was, which actually made it easier to deal with.

[Jacqueline]

Evening all,

So far my therapist has done very well by me. Some of things she has found for me to look at and explore seem kind of "pedestrian"(sorry if that sounds elitist). I have been doing a lot of research on my own. It just took me a little deeper than she initially went. However, she has been great. Keeping an eye on my tendencies to hide from myself; keeping my focus on how my wife might perceive certain subjects and the fact that I was planning, researching, wrapping myself in knots, worrying about how to tell my wife and ramifications but had not really explored how I felt about this fairly recent discovery about myself.

I think she is professional enough and we have a good enough relationship that I think I will just ask her when we next meet. Not to be insensitive or rude but just to see if trying to figure out how to proceed is something we are good with or if perhaps it is a little out of her depth. I might try to meet with a specialist in that I have questions to ask about hair removal, hormones, and other options and logistics.

Trying to keep moving forward,

Joanna

[wanessa.delisola]

I know a lot of you already told everything about that issue, but let me share my experience:

Some years ago, like, 4 or 5 years ago, I decided to look for a therapist. I already knew why I needed one and what I wanted to discuss. I had been in a dark place for years and knew about my gender issues for a long time already.
So, i found myself a therapist, but not a gender one, cuz I didnt knew that they exist at the time. My therapist was a great guy. It only took me 3 sessions to tell him my gender issues. But, to my surprise, he said that he didnt had any experience with gender issues but said that he would read about that.
So, i continued my sessions with him. Despite the fact that my gender issues were the primary matter that drove me there, it was NOT the only one. I was depressed, going in and out college for more than 10 years, etc etc etc. We talked a lot about all that, and he was great on that. But everytime we got on the matter of the gender issues, i could see that he was lost and even kinda uncomfortable.
Bottom line is: I saw him for about 2 years, and yeah, he helped me a lot, I'm a much less darker person. But, when it comes to gender issues, he didnt help much, even when he tried.

[Felix]

I think you should absolutely see a gender therapist if that's an option for you. If you can talk to a person who has studied people like us and doesn't need a lot of guidance that can be super helpful.

Make do with what you can get though.

[Jacqueline]

Just a quick update on a personal note,

I originally posted this topic to see if there was a hugely persuasive reason to shift to a gender therapist. It began a wonderful set of questions and contributions. Thanks again to all.

I asked my therapist today if she thought I should see another therapist as well. She was very candid and offered to give me name of someone she feels is the best in our city. I was encouraged to contact this doctor if I wanted to try that route out as well. She added that the transgender world is changing so fast, she is not always up to the absolute latest information but has helped 4 people through their transitions. I thought I would hold off, but she wrote down the information and suggested that there is some info that this gender therapist might have better information to  within our area(trans friendly endocrinologist or electrolysis providers).

I have been so lucky to get great advice and support from all of you as well as a caring doctor. I hope to continue to lean on all of you for ideas, suggestions and information.

With gratitude,

Joanna

[Felix]

That's great things are going well and it sounds like you have good access to knowledgable professionals. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself and argue if your people seem too reticent to help though. Knowledge of trans people is changing fast but it hasn't ever been reliable and you need to get your needs met regardless of what public opinion looks like.

[Eva Marie]

With a gender therapist you shouldn't have to explain trans 101 to them on your dime; they should already be well versed in the treatment of trans people and you can avoid wasting time and money. Also, they should be able to write letters for medical treatment and i'm not sure if a general therapist can do that (?).

With that said there are lousy gender therapists that don't get us and do more harm than good, and excellent, perceptive general therapists that can really help trans people.

I think that the only way to know for sure is to have an initial visit with and a list of questions for a therapist to figure out where the therapist stands and if you click with the therapist. Word of mouth from other trans people is also an excellent way to find a therapist - that's how I found mine.