I am planning on coming out to, well, everyone very soon. The plan is to get into therapy not too long after that. The trouble is...I am not 100% sure what exactly to look for in a gender therapist, let alone my first one.

What did you look for in your first GT? Any tips or advice? Thank you!


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Being in a small city, I looked for someone who was within the area for the most part. It helped that I got recommendations from other people who specialize in trans issues to look into two therapists, one who gave me my T letter and got me on the road to starting my transition medically.

If you aren't sure where to look, start with Psychology Today and you can narrow the search down to therapists in your general area, and even get as specific as those who specialize in certain LGBTQ issues. If that doesn't work, try putting "gender therapists in *insert city here or zip code here*" into Google/Bing/Yahoo.

Psychology Today is unfortunately fraught with people who click off the box that says they work with trans people and they really don't, or they have only worked with one or two.

Consider using the below and googling "gender therapist" with your location.


https://www.susans.org/links/Healthcare/Therapists_&_Counselors/

I live in a really small town surrounded by more small towns and maybe 2 small cities. So basically googling stuff didn't come up with anything and the websites that typically help people find therapists only listed therapists a million miles away. So what I did was had the lady at my primary care doctor's office who does referrals help me. She came up with two place, the first one was just for general therapy and the therapist didn't know her butt from a hole in the ground. But the second place she referred me to was fantastic, my therapist was extremely nice and knowledgeable, and it only took me 1.5 months to get my T letter. So if all else fails, see if the person who does referrals for your doctor can help you out.

I am going through the same thing looking for a gender therapist. I think im going to ask my primary doctor to refer me somewhere.

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I looked around for someone who did online therapy and focused on gender. There are surprisingly quite a few of them, which is great for people who live in smaller towns or rural areas who really want to speak to someone who specializes in gender. It was less expensive than my copay would've been to use insurance at an in-person therapist.

I am lucky to live near a community clinic that has a few staff members designated to work with the trans community, they had a list of all the local therapists and their specialties.  My therapist was more of a sexuality generalist but has a ton of queer clients as well as a good deal of trans patients.

They did recommend some therapists in training who were specifically studying human sexuality and if I had been broke that would have been a good option.  College towns have some perks

A couple of key things one is you to find out if they are a gender therapist meaning they can write the letters and have experience with trans patients. Resources like the one mentioned in another post will help with that, but in the end you will need to ask because that list isn't always complete or accurate in the sense of knowing who has the training and experience needed. The other is they need to be a good fit with you. The right therapist is so important to this process. Hugs
Mariah

I fell into the psychology today trap but luckily recognized it for what it is before I spent any resources in it. I am close enough to an actual gender clinic type deal so I emailed one of the gender specialists there about their specific training and any reputable gender network information they might have. It's seeming that I'll be having to make a couple hour drive though. To me it's worth it.


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I searched the Internet on a LGBT site in a major city in my state and found some recommended psychologists and therapists.  Then I went to their websites and found one with a lot of experience with trans gender issues.

Unfortunately he is a 2 hour drive but that drive is better than spending my money on someone with little or no practical experience.


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