Quote from: novumdiex9 on April 23, 2013, 03:57:42 PM
I'm going to college in Savannah, Georgia soon and I'm looking for a therapist for just general life stuff, but one who also works as a gender therapist. I hope that makes sense. I've been looking around but there are so many. Has anyone had any experiences or suggestions?
Thank you so so much. 
You probably want to find a therapist that has some knowledge about transgender people and is also open to learning more about trans people. Quite a few therapists that have had hundreds of clients tend to be more elitist and have the attitude that "you have to fulfill xy and z criteria to be trans"; I could be wrong, but that's just what I've generally heard.
The wpath standards of care outlines what qualifications a therapist has to have in order to properly help trans people and be able to diagnose/understand gender dysphoria. The best part about the standards of care...they are flexible! (as said in the introduction)
http://www.wpath.org/documents/IJT%20SOC,%20V7.pdfI am going to a counsellor, and he says that according to the wpath soc he is qualified to advocate for me/assess me for hrt etc. Interestingly enough he has experience with LGBT people, not a lot, but enough to help me through transition. He is also willing to learn, which is very important; because wpath and the dsm have dramatically changed within the past five years.
The most important thing is to find a therapist that you are comfortable talking to, because if you can't open up they will misunderstand you, or if they are pushy they might discourage you. Just make sure that your therapist is at least acquainted with LGBT issues/knowledge, or they have had a few clients already; otherwise, be willing to have the patience to teach them and provide info (which is not necessarily a bad thing).
Overall...take what I have to say with a grain of salt, I'm only beginning my transition.
