Hopefully this is the correct place (and an authorized topic) to post.  I'm in my mid 20s and am to the point in my life where I'd like to start seeing a therapist/counselor about transitioning and beginning HRT.  As I'm completely new to the process, I did some initial online searches for trans-specific therapists online and quickly found about 3 different physician search engines that all had different search results.  There wasn't much information on some of the search results to look a bit deeper into the therapists and some seemed rather incomplete.  One engine had the nearest recommended result at 91.5mi away from my zip code.  Hopefully without posting too much personal information, I was hoping to see if there were some recommendations in my general area.  I did a bit of poking on this subforum and didn't see specific therapists referenced so hopefully that isn't a no-no.

I live in Oregon and most of the results I found were in the Portland area, which is a bit further than I was hoping to drive.  It isn't an unreasonable distance for me and I'm of the frame of mind that I'd rather drive a bit further for a good therapist rather than settle for a close one that isn't a good fit.  I'd prefer to do in-person therapy with someone who either specializes in transgender clients or has a solid and accepting understanding of the topics and process.

~Riko

If your close to Portland than that would be best otherwise your looking Seattle or Spokane unless you have to consider another neighboring state for your therapy. My closest option was a good 140 miles away. In the end the distance is worth the trip, but if you don't want to consider the distance you could always try a gender therapist online even though I know you want to see one in person. I'm sorry that no one is closer than that. Good luck and hugs
Mariah

I personally did my therapy online and had a very good experience. If distance or time factors are important to you (as they were to me), it's something to consider. I know some people would much rather converse in person though.

Thanks for the tips.  I think I'll do a bit more digging into the Portland area search results and start sending some emails.  Unfortunately Oregon doesn't really have many large enough cities that would be able to support such a focused practice in my immediate area it seems.

I think the main reason I want to at least start with in-person sessions is because I'm rather introverted and I feel if someone is physically sitting there with me talking to me, I can open up better than if it was online.  I'm quite a different person online due to the fact that I get to interject more of what I want to be and act what I feel as more natural without feeling judged.  Since I'm not "out" in person with anyone in my offline life yet, I tend to act in a way that lets me "fit in" as opposed to a way that lets me be me.  That's something I need to work on feeling comfortable doing in person instead of just online and a therapist seems like a good stepping stone.  I also want to have a local source for (hopefully) somewhat local recommendations when it comes to the next steps.

After digging a bit into therapists in the Portland area, I found what seems to be a rather large and robust therapist search engine (Googling Psychology Today should get you there if you want more context for the rest of this post), but I'm a bit lost in what to look for.

I read through the sticky at the top as far as what to avoid, but since I haven't had a first meeting, I haven't been able to see any interaction warning signs that the therapist isn't a good match for me.

I guess the first thing I'm wondering is what classification I should be looking for keeping in mind I'd like them to have the authority to prescribe HRT without having to refer me to someone else.  I'm seeing a wide variety of qualifications (Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Psychologist, Counselor, MA, and others) and a bunch seem to be more general practicians based on the issues they have checked (ADHD to chronic pain to gambling to infertility).

Most of the ones I'm finding also have what appears to be all four of the site's sexuality options checked (bisexual, gay, lesbian and transsexual issues).  Outside of playing eeny meeny miny moe and sending a bunch of emails then throwing a dart at one reply, does anyone have any suggestions on things I can do to narrow it down a bit?

though its better to have a therapist you can see on a daily basis, or when a crisis comes up, some have gone to local clinics who offer informed consent but i would suggest saving that until you exhaust other options.

You might look for lgbt groups and ask there for a referral...
it might be helpful if you could find transgender support groups...

other than that you might ask for their experience, and what their approach is...
imo their approach should be to help you along and support you, not gatekeeping.. you might ask how long it usually takes until they give their ok for hormones...

you might have a look at their pictures... many have websites...


you might ask for sliding scales and if they accept insurance... ( but this should not be the major point imo )


hugs

Quote from: Rikosa on April 17, 2015, 01:05:48 AM
After digging a bit into therapists in the Portland area, I found what seems to be a rather large and robust therapist search engine (Googling Psychology Today should get you there if you want more context for the rest of this post), but I'm a bit lost in what to look for.

I read through the sticky at the top as far as what to avoid, but since I haven't had a first meeting, I haven't been able to see any interaction warning signs that the therapist isn't a good match for me.

I guess the first thing I'm wondering is what classification I should be looking for keeping in mind I'd like them to have the authority to prescribe HRT without having to refer me to someone else.  I'm seeing a wide variety of qualifications (Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Psychologist, Counselor, MA, and others) and a bunch seem to be more general practicians based on the issues they have checked (ADHD to chronic pain to gambling to infertility).

Most of the ones I'm finding also have what appears to be all four of the site's sexuality options checked (bisexual, gay, lesbian and transsexual issues).  Outside of playing eeny meeny miny moe and sending a bunch of emails then throwing a dart at one reply, does anyone have any suggestions on things I can do to narrow it down a bit?

Limit it to transsexual issues, and then do a search on this forum and the broader internet for the combination of their name and transgender/transsexual/etc. If Psychology Today is the only place that combination appears, avoid them. Too many "professionals" on there see it as just another box to tick to broaden their exposure and potentially bring in extra money for something they may not have any experience doing.

Send a cursory message to anyone you feel would be a good fit. Trust your instincts when you get a response. Was it prompt? Was it friendly and professional? Inquire about their availability and let them know the purpose of your future visit. Be very frank that you are looking for an HRT referral and give a timeline that you feel is acceptable, as long as you don't have any other issues you're working through.

When you limit your final options to one or two in your area, make another thread with their names in the title and ask if anyone has used them and could offer insight.