Where should I go to start HRT?

[tyler_c]

Should my dad call a therapist?
Should my dad call a gender clinic?
What does he ask them?

I'm a bit confused finding the very first step to getting T?

And do you ask for Informed Consent? Apparently that's a cheaper route because you don't need therapy then? But then how I thought you needed a referral from a therapist?? Oh god I'm so confused.

And do you ask them on the phone if they would on a Sliding Scale? That's really important since we don't have a lot of money and very unlikely insurance will cover anything.

I want the quickest route to getting T as well as the least expensive because I'm 100% that this is what I want to do.


I live in Missouri and the insurance I have is: "Missouri Healthnet"

The gender clinic here is:
http://transinstitute.org/

And I'm still looking for a therapist that would take my insurance, but another transguy from MO who I saw on YouTube went to "Dr Chad Keller."

[FTMax]

How old are you? I only ask because you mentioned having your father call. If you are under the age of 18 even with parental consent I'm not sure you would be able to find someone to give you hormones via informed consent. Also, not every healthcare provider follows informed consent. Most actually will want a referral from a therapist. Since you mention insurance, that is another thing to consider.

If you want your insurance to pay, I would start by calling them and asking what all they cover and what they require in order to cover it. The majority of insurers want you to start with therapy, so if that is the case, you would ask them for a therapist who specializes in gender. If they don't have one, just ask them if they can email you a list of in-network providers in a specific mile radius to you. Then call each one and find one that will work with you. Tell them up front that you are looking for a referral to start testosterone.

Once you get a referral, you would need to find a doctor to prescribe the T. Again, call your insurance company and ask who they have in network in a specific mile radius who prescribes hormones for transgender patients. They may not know, but they should be able to give you some starting points.

Now. If there are gender clinics in your state, you could call them and ask what their requirements are to start HRT for someone your age. If they want you to have therapy, they will also most likely be ale to tell you about therapists they recommend. You could also try calling Planned Parenthood locations. Many are offering HRT now, but it would be a similar discussion about what is available to a minor and what would be required.

[AnxietyDisord3r]

As someone who has seen a LOT of therapists ... something I wish I had known:

It is totally okay to fire your therapist.  Hell, you may know in the first meeting that you are not "clicking". Ask to be assigned to someone else. Do not spend 18 months with someone you can't relate to and who can't relate to you, spending money, wasting time, spinning your wheels, feeling bad. There is no shame in not clicking with a therapist.

NEVER keep going to a therapist you can't trust. If you are too embarrassed/ashamed, go ahead and ghost them for a different practice or your local neighborhood free health department clinic for a while. Go to student therapists (they're better--more likely to know what trans is and isn't -- they were never trained on that outdated neo-Freudian, we can make our own gender crapola).

In my experience, you will know FOR SURE within 3 visits if a therapist will work out or not. Sometimes jitters during first meeting or your own unhappiness will give you a negative impression or make you feel unsure, so if you're unsure, see if it gets better on further visits. But sometimes you just know right away that a therapist will work or not.

A therapist is like a personal trainer for your brain. If you can't communicate, if the therapist is working in metric and your brain is in English, it's not going to work.

Therapists do not take it personally when clients switch therapists. Sometimes good therapists will even suggest that you move to someone else if they can't help you. Therapy is not a social obligation, it's a way to get better through learning and self-discovery.

As for requiring therapy before HRT, it seems pretty dumb to you and me (btw, I was in therapy for depression and anxiety, which I really, really needed therapy for) but my last therapist (PhD Psychology) explained that there are some rare conditions where a person's identity, including gender identity, will change rapidly. Most providers will want to be assured that your gender identity is persistent and fixed.

My last therapist wrote my letter to the endo. She actually recommended my provider. It's not a big community so the medical folks kind of know each other. We talked a little bit about how I knew I was trans which included some discussion of dysphoria because that's part of my story but she didn't interrogate me to fit some checklist. But I'd already been in therapy with her for some time and she knew my personality and character.