I've been in therapy for three months, so I've met criteria for HRT.  I'm fairly confident that's the path I want to follow and I want to discuss it with my therapist.  Until now I've been intentionally avoiding discussing HRT, becuase I don't want to create the perception I'm begging for it.  I'm hesitant to go into my next session (Thursday) with an agenda, so what do I do?

The first thing I talked to my therapist about was HRT. We talked about it for half of the time I was there but it wasn't until later that I was ready to start.

If that's what you want to do then just say so. Even if you aren't sure talk to them about it, they are there to help not just be gatekeepers. Don't worry about having an agenda, I almost always have an agenda when I work with therapists.

My past history includes a failed transition (in which I was on HRT for almost a year and half) and several periods of DIY.  I did tell him early on I didn't want to do the DIY route again - that was our first session and we really haven't talked about it since then.  I do try to have a list of topics I want to cover, I'm just not sure I want to lead off with HRT.  I think trying to rush things in the past, including HRT is what derailed me, and I just don't want to come across as that again.  I guess that's what my real concern is.

His "homework" from my last session was to focus more on identifying my support network and it just seems like a bit of leap from trying to identify people to safely come out to, to taking steps that may/will ultimately force me to come out.  As in if I'm not ready to come out, am I ready for hormones?  So how do I make it sound like I'm not just racing ahead and putting myself on the same path I did before?  There is my dilemma...

Don't worry about your therapist's perception of you. So what if you come off like your trying to rush things. It might be helpful to tell him your worried about this, maybe it will lead to a better understanding of what is going on with your transition attempts.

The real question is are you ready for hormones? What is different now compared to last time?

It kind of sounds like, you feel your getting ahead of yourself with hormones or maybe just afraid of repeating the past (I could be way off base). These would be great things to talk to him about.

Best of luck on Thursday.

I'm going into my first therapy session this friday and I plan to lead off with my intentions.  I'm using the therapy for the sole purpose of getting HRT, I don't have any other issues and they are there to help you ;3

So we had "the talk"...

He supports my decision to start HRT. 

He wants me to fill out an "assessment" that seems to emphasize informed consent and then in our agreed upon "small steps" approach I'm going to get AAs for a couple months and then a full HRT.  He did say that he wants me to come out to at least three people before I start HRT.  So we spent about 90% of the time talking about coming out issues and about 10% talking about hormones.  It was really a non issue since he said at the begining of the session he was satisfied with the steady progress I'd been making and had no objections to my HRT plans.

Coming out to three people? Do you think thats to slow you down or toughen you up?

Just thinking, congrats though!

He didn't exactly say how he was going to validate whether I'd actually come out to three people or not.  I suppose I could just as easily tell him I had and leave it at that, though that's not what I intend to do.

I wrote out the HRT questionaire he gave me.  I forget the exact words, but the last question explicitly refers to informed consent.  It's been a really good tool to help get me ready for the "next steps".  I'm looking forward to discussing my answers with him during our next appointment.