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Last edited by heather1969; 12-13-2008 at 06:16 PM.
The minute you walk through that door..Been there done that...They have no clue in treating you and will suggest a sex therapist..Mine gave me a look of disgust I could have slapped her ..
It depends on your reason for going in the first place. At some point even if it is not the major factor, I believe you should tell the therapist before too long, at least to fill them in on your entire history. Get a feel for them first, however.
Joni
"Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free" Bob Dylan
If crossdressing is the issues yes !!! Maybe the doctor can refer you to someone who handles gender Identies or work together with the referal but yes as soon as you see the Doctor..
It depends as hinted above. If your going bexcause you feel like your really a lady...start with word one. If it is part of the problem (if SO is upset, etc.) try within first session. If it has absolutley no relevance to your peroblem...does it matter? That is for you to decide.
If you ex[ect to gain anything from seeing a therapist it is necessary to tell them the truth about your life. If transgender is one of your concerns in therapy you definately shoud tell your therapist.
It takes a real man to wear a dress.
Heather,
Make sure you tell your therapist up front like curse suggested. Not all therapists are well versed in gender identity, or gender dysphoria issues, it is somewhat of a specialty. I saw one who was not well versed in these issues, and identified me as a sex addict, sent me to a group, and stupid me went because my wife was having a real issue when she found out what I was doing, and I didn't know exactly what I was or if I even wanted to know. All I know is that the group I went to just didn't seem to fit, and I felt out of place, so I found a gender specialist, talked to her and what she had to say about being transgendered made so much more sense. I fired my other therapist, and managed to drag my wife kicking and screaming, and really, really, pissed off to the new therapist. Long story short my wife has become more accepting, gained some new insight and perspective, and understands that this just isn't going away, and our relationship is much better. So if that's the issue your going to see a therapist about, I would recommend asking up from if she deals with gender issues, if not find someone who does, it will be worth it.
Christy
Heather please lets us know what you do and how it turns out.I wish I was in your shoes and if I was crossdressing would be my main topic. I wish you only the best and be yourself. Good luck. Geri
I would have to agree with the others that suggest that you be up front right away concerning your gender issues, because therapists don't see anything as not affecting your life. Someone who isn't experienced with gender 'variations' may falsely wind up blaming that for other problems in your life. Ask what experience they have with other transgender patients. If they don't have much, or even any, you will become their 'test case' and they will be learning as much or more from and about you than you will from them. When you're looking for help, you really don't need to be the only expert in the room.
Some causes of crossdressing you've probably never even considered: My TG biography at:http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...=1#post1490560
There's an addendum at post # 82 on that thread, too. It's about a ten minute read.
Why don't we understand our desire to dress, behave and feel like a girl? Because from childhood, boys are told that the worst possible thing we can be, is a sissy. This feeling is so ingrained into our psyche, that we will suppress any thoughts that connect us to being or wanting to be feminine, even to the point of creating separate personalities to assign those female feelings into.
Heather,
Al of the above are good suggestions in their own right. Different issues hit all of us differently. I agree that being upfront about it will help any therapist in identifying what YOUR issues are, and going from there. I would add that if they come across as disinterested or disgusted, as curse mentioned, then by all means, find a different one.
Hope you get what you need from it!
Lauren
I think the sooner you tell your therapist the better, that way you can be helped with it sooner.
A therapist is only as good as the information you give them, if you leave things out, they can,t help you!!
I agree with Debs. Remember when you walk in there you are a complete stranger. You have got to get everything that matters to you, that defines the place you are in, out on the table as soon as possible.
They are not mind readers you know. (OK, some of the good ones can be pretty intuitive, but why make it hard for them?)
[SIZE="2"]Always be true to yourself because the people who matter don’t mind, and the people who mind don’t matter.[/SIZE]
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