Hi all,

The last couple of days have been very eventful for me. I am finally seeking help for my feelings, but I'm quite stressed and agitated about it.

Yesterday, I had an intake interview with a representative of the organization I was hoping to go through to see a therapist. I felt my stomach twisting in knots and butterflies all through me! It was the longest drive ever.

My intake officer was really nice. She had lots of questions for me to answer and made me feel comfortable. It was basically a "get to know you" session. This was the first time I'd ever spoken to someone in person about this (though, I kind of just glanced over the top of it in a roundabout way). She said the first step is always the hardest step. I was very shy and not very talkative, but I made it known to her what I was really coming there for.

She gave me a referral letter to see my GP about getting a MHCP (mental health care plan) through Medicare, which is the Australian public health system. So I took the letter and booked an appointment.

I attended my appointment with my GP this morning and discussed the referral. I had a lot of questions about the possible implications of it, and it really stressed me out. She was very nice, thoughtful and helpful. I didn't go into details about why I was being referred, but we discussed how it could affect my future, to which the answers stressed me out!

I am only 23 years old, not working a lot, studying full on at uni and living at home. I'm worried about how a MHCP might affect things like:

- Employment
- Getting private health
- Getting finance/home loans
- Who can request my information etc

She totally understood my concerns and gave me the best possible advice. She also advised that I think about it and we booked another appointment for next week. At least it'll give me some time to research and think it over...but, true to form, as I left the doctors surgery, I had all the confidence in the world, not when I needed it!

Could anyone shed some light on my concerns? Have you experienced any issues with the above or have any information at all?

On a bit of a lighter note, I had some time to dress today. I wore this cute little play suit and wow! I have never loved the way I looked more. My legs, arms, bum and tummy looked really good! I was even happy about how my shoulders looked! I didn't want to take it off, but I had to. Despite all the body and facial hair poking out everywhere, I felt really pretty! Sexy, even. I thought to myself "I can definitely see me as a girl". It was really quite profound, and felt really good.

Karlee.x

Hi Karlee,
Since you did not go into specific details with your GP then the answers may not have been aligned to you.
General answers are never a good substitute for special reasons and you may need to go into this detail with them or just use what they said as general advice and not take it to heart.

One thing I have noticed over the years is the difference between stress and pressure. Pressure can weigh us down from all sorts of sources but while its under control its just that pressure. Stress I believe is the outcome of uncontrolled pressure and not being able to see a way forward.
You I think are under a lot of pressure and anxiety from it so be kind to yourself and believe in the path you are setting out on and follow the steps as they come along.

I am glad you like your look and you have a lovely profile picture.

Cheers

Sue

I might be able to offer some advice if you're in Sydney, other places not so much.

An MHCP is private and confidential and a very common means of dealing with any mental health issues with medicare. There should be no implications of any sort. An MHCP can be for anything from anxiety, depression, grief counselling, etc etc etc.

It is just a means for medicare to rebate the funds.

I Have an MHCP and it has shown some advantages in respect of being able to obtain help when you need it, As Cindi pointed out it is entirely confidential and you do not have to discuss it with anyone. It has enabled me to obtain 10 free Psychologist appointments. It also means my Psychiatrist is able to bulk bill me.

The information should not be shared with anyone you don't authorise.

Liz K

I think I did one of those mental health plans, but I only told the GP it was for depression. It was true enough, but only part of the story. I figure there's nothing too bad about disclosing depression. Its pretty common these days.

If you don't mind paying everything yourself you don't even need to do that, but its a lot of money.

I'd suggest you find the therapist/psych you want and tell the GP to refer you there. Look for personal recommendations from trans people, and more than one if you can.

Same goes for a GP/endo to prescribe HRT. I think its worth trying to find a GP who's experienced with trans people.

Luckily in Sydney we have at least one really good psych, and one excellent endo.

Thank you for all of your replies. Makes me feel a little bit more at ease.

I am just very private about my "business" and like to be assure of things. I know the GP is 100% bound to confidentiality (unless extreme legal circumstances arise) which is comforting, and definitely a benefit to have the Medicare rebates available for it all. A little bit goes a long way.

I'll chat with my GP further next week at our next appointment. I'm glad she was really nice and comforting.

Also, I love seeing such a strong Australian presence here!

All the best!

Karlee.x