Finding a Therapist - UPDATED

[Ruben]

First of all, I apologise if this is in the wrong place. :p

Right, since I'm new to this community, in the sense that I've been struggling with myself and only recently introduced myself into this community, I've read that alot of people have a therapist and that doctors need referrals/letters etc before they can help out with certain things.

Thing is, I have no idea where to start going about finding a therapist/psychiatrist-type person or how to do it. Do I approach a doctor first? Is there somewhere I can go? I feel I need to at least speak to someone in that profession to see where I go from here and stuff, but I don't know how to get their help. Because, they may be able to help me with issues such as how to 'come out' as transgendered to my family properly, and maybe ways of talking to my fiancé about things I may need to do to save my own sanity. xD

I'm in the UK, which probably isn't really any use to most of you here, since alot of you seem to be from the US and as such might have different ways of going about things. xD But then, I could just be being ignorant. xD

Bottom line; HELP! xD

[Flan]

in a nutshell

to get NHS to cover it one goes to GP who is (suppose) to refer to a psychologist (so called community team) who refers to a gender identity centre (heh) where you wait longer and then maybe get hormones and chance of surgery (assuming funding is ok'ed).

or you can pay out of nose for a private practice therapist, physician and (eventually) surgeon.

hope that helps

[Ruben]

in a nutshell

to get NHS to cover it one goes to GP who is (suppose) to refer to a psychologist (so called community team) who refers to a gender identity centre (heh) where you wait longer and then maybe get hormones and chance of surgery (assuming funding is ok'ed).

or you can pay out of nose for a private practice therapist, physician and (eventually) surgeon.

hope that helps

Thanks for the reply; I'm going to have to think of how to come out with it to my GP. xD I can't think it'd be the easiest subject to bring up. >_>
Post Merge: May 27, 2010, 06:08:33 AM
Right, I took the first jump today, and managed to see my GP. As soon as I mentioned Gender Issues, her face became INSTANTLY serious, and, what I hoped for, she didn't talk to me like I'm crazy. xD She sat and listened, asked what I had considered, and then did a depression survey thing on me, and, apparently, I have moderate-severe depression. 8D Yay me. xD

Anywho, bottom line, shes getting me my referral done for a therapist, either one who can then find someone more specialist for me, OR straight to the specialist if she can get one herself.

Tha ball has begun rolling...