I just got back from an appointment with a lovely therapist who is experienced in working with transgender patients (but is not a gender specialist)~ not only is she awesome, as it turns out, she happens to work with another counselor who is a gender specialist. I didn't even know we HAD any gender specialists in my city! And the best part? This gender specialist isn't covered by insurance... but she's offered to let me see her for a reduced fee (the amount I would pay if it was covered under insurance)!
The nervewracking part is that my mom is under the impression that this is "career counseling with an LGBT focus" (not a lie, since a big concern of mine is getting a job despite my gender identity, but obviously not the whole story), so I have to find ways to answer questions like, "So, what did you talk about at your appointment?" without sounding like I'm hiding something. However, my mom is paying for this, which is a huge relief!
