Sandy,
Her comments really didn't affect my self identity but it did make me think about the system in general. I knew I was female and didn't need a therapist to validate me. That is why I self medicated for seven years before I saw a therapist. My spouse didn't like that one and begged me to see another. I did but she eventually made it clear that unless he diagnosed me as schizophrenic, I couldn't see him anymore. He wouldn't so I saw another therapist under the agreement with my spouse that I would ask for anti-psychotic drugs. The new therapist said that there was no way she could recommend that I take drugs of any kind because I wasn't mentally ill. My spouse didn't want me to see her either but I insisted at this point and finished with this one a few months later.

I hoped that seeing a therapist and getting the SRS letters would help convince her that I was really trans but I know now that she will never see it that way.

I too was very concerned that my mental state was being discussed and that this therapist saw fit to remotely diagnose me. EVEN with my therapist comparing notes with her, I was really put off by it. My therapist said that she saw me as depressed and angry because of being a battered woman. Yes, that was her opinion of my situation. At least that is what it was almost two years ago. Things are better now, only rarely do I have to deal with abuse. My spouse admits that she did behave badly.

Maggie