Do you have a Male or a female LGBT therapist/Psychatrist?

[Matthew J. F]

I'm trying to find a LGBT doc/therapist nearby (Yes I'm going to make the first step! I am quite nervous about it too!) and I'm having a difficult time trying to decide whether or not I should pick a woman or a man to be my psych/therapist.

What do you guys have for a doc/therapist? What is more preferred for us Trans guys? Are Men psych/therapist more appropriate? because of the gender? I'm not trying to sound sexist so I do apologize for you women out there.

[Alun C]

I can't really answer your question -- but I do often wonder the same thing... ya'know?

Like -- If one were to get a female Psych -- would that fem.psych be harder and more critical on you? Or would the male.psych?

<3 Alun

[Crow]

My therapist is female, and she's wonderful. I really couldn't care less what gender my counselor is, as long as they understand my situation, which she definitely does.

If a therapist is letting their own gender interfere with your counseling, they're probably just not a very good therapist.

[meh]

I have female therapist. Regarding choosing a therapist, I think gender is a non-issue.  However; I think you should choose whatever you feel more comfortable with. If you don't like how they're treating you, whether they are male or female, you can always find another. 

[FinnCatt]

Due to the unique system of NHS waiting lists, I now have two therapists/consellors, one male and one female. (one NHS mainly for anxiety, but knows about trans issues and how that stems a lot of the anxiety, and one private (sliding scale ftw) who's mainly for trans issues and how me/my family are coping) They're both awesome. I'd say go with someone who you get on with-and don't be afraid to 'shop around'. If you have multiple options, go to a session with each if possible/affordable before you stick with one. I had to change once due to my old therapist's surgery date being brought forward, and found that I'm much more comfortable with the new one

[sneakersjay]

All of my therapists have been female.  Three have been lesbians (not that it matters), the other straight.

There was a discussion going on in another forum about therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists being mostly gay.  Rumor or true?  IDK.


Jay

[Trickster]

Mine's male, through my college but he's very familiar with trans issues. Personally I couldn't care less, BUT there was something really refreshing about being treated as 'one of the guys' by a guy. At least it made me less intimidated by bioguys...ymmv.

[Carson]

Both of my therapists were female, one I saw for depression earlier which led to discovering that I'm trans and then I switched to a trans specialist, she is nationally known and has been on tv shows and documentaries, I'm just lucky she has an office close to where I live. I personally have no preference as to which gender my therapists were. I had a male psychiatrist I ha to go to for medication and the only reason I didn't like him was because he was weird. The only thing I've noticed that is gender based about my therapist was that she was very keen on telling me that just because I'm male doesn't mean I have to be an ass. She also would take my girlfriends side on any issue for the most part.

[Bones]

My therapist is female and does nothing but trans therapy. She's absolutely wonderful and does a lot for the men and women she sees. I live away from her now since i moved out of state but she still allows me to call in my therapy sessions so I can continue with her. We also used to have meetings once a week and she'd take us out to somewhere to eat afterwards and also sets up outtings (To get to know other FtM's)...for instance the guys went on a camping trip not too long ago.

[Declan]

Bones, your therapist sounds awesome! I'm starting to look for a therapist in my area, for some reason I always pictured having myself having a woman therapist, but after reading Trickster's comment, I like the idea of being able to talk with a bio male. I wouldn't mind either though, hopefully I can find someone soon.

[neroandrew696]

my therapist is female, experienced in lgbt issues, and is also part of the lgbt community. i have been able to speak to her very easily and was very helpful on other things than just my gender issues. she is basically the only decent therapist with the experience in the utah area.

-Nero-

[Ryan]

I had a MTF counsellor for a while. To be honest, I actually prefer my current counsellor despite her lack of knowledge on trans stuff.

[Steph]

Both my therapists were female and as others have mentioned it doesn't really matter as long as they understand the issues or are at least willing to learn and research.  Additionally you need to be comfortable with them as you will be spending a lot of time discussing very personal issues.  It's important to be able to communicate; no communication no therapy.  Also a therapist with experience dealing with ts issues is a bonus, both of mine were and one was published, her specialty was in fact gender identity issues which was a plus for me.

Shop around, don't just look for one that writes letters, look for one that understands our issues and can make the correct diagnosis.

Steph

[Farm Boy]

Gender wasn't really something I took into account when looking for a therapist.  Location and price were my biggest issues.  So I pretty much just looked up the closest one, got lucky and found some funding, met her, and got lucky again because she turned out to be great.

[myles]

My therapist was male, FTM.

[GnomeKid]

My therapist was female, and specialized in such things [sex therapy and trans issues ect.]
I cannot say I connected all that well with her, but I cannot say I've connected with any therapist well.  I'm not so much a talk about things kind of person.  I think if I ever did go back into therapy [which isn't likely in the short term, but is very likely in the long term] I would try to go to a ftm therapist.  Mostly because the biggest issue that I find myself having nowadays is dysphoria due to lack of proper downstairs equipment.  I think I'd find it least awkward to talk to a fellow ftm rather than a cis gendered individual.  That being said on that particular issue I think I'd generally find a female therapist less uncomfortable than a male therapist.  It would probably end up being counter productive talking to a penis clad individual about my insecurities around not having one.  I'd end up just resenting him by the end of most sessions I'd imagine, but thats my own thing that I should really probably see someone about.........

[Radar]

I have a guy. I needed a guy to be able to talk to about being a guy and guy things. Even though he's not transgendered it helped me to talk to another guy. I believe that a guy can sympathize more with a transman since he could understand the frustration better than a woman. I'm sure a guy just needs to think about having breasts and no testicles or penis and understand how upsetting that would be. Just like I think women can sympathize more with a transwoman, whereas we just want what they have/had.

[Arch]

I have longstanding trust issues with women, so I chose a male therapist. I was hoping he was gay, too (because I am), and he was. (I had good reason to expect that he was gay because I had read an online description of some of his areas of expertise, and I saw that he covered all sorts of queer issues and practiced in the gay part of town.)

Even without my trust issues, I probably would have preferred a gay man. He gets both my gender and my sexuality on a fundamental level. It's awesome.

[LeeIam]

I have a female therapist. I didn't really have an option as I live in outback Australia. There are only 4 therapists close enough not to make a day trip and all are female. None have ever done therapy with a trans person. I went to all of them to see who seemed to be someone who'd was willing to research and learn from their clients. The one I chose is great and we've come along way. I think in the begining I'd have prefered a male though. My male psychatrist who I only see now and then seems to understand me easier.

[Arch]

I have a female therapist. I didn't really have an option as I live in outback Australia. There are only 4 therapists close enough not to make a day trip and all are female.

Wow, this would have been a nightmare for me. I'm glad you found someone, even if the situation is not optimal.