Finding a therapist: cost and avoiding christian types?

[wino_tg_girl]

I'm interested in finding a counselor and look into my transgender feelings.

How did you find your therapist? Are there counselors specifically for transgendered patients? If there are therapists who specialize, where do you go to find a list of them?

I'm concerned that if I go to the trouble of finding and paying for one, I'll end up with some sort of christian nut who wants to "fix" my "problem." I do live in the bible belt, after all.

What should I expect to pay? How often do you visit? Is it commonly covered by insurance (I have pretty high quality insurance)?

Any advice?

[Steph.TS]

I'm in Calgary, a conservative city in a conservative province (think Texas of Canada) I simlpy e-mail therapists that I looking of that were registered with the state that we female (as I'm more comfortable exploring this with a woman) and once I found out the rates/hours/location were agreeable with me I asked if she could help me out with this issue, one was too busy with other patients, others didn't do this sort of thing but one other those recommend another therapist that worked at the same place and does work in this area, and I go to her once a month.

[Sarah Welch]

Hey, hey..... watch what ya say bout Texas............lmao.
Seriously, it's not as bad as some seem ta think.
Wino, best advice is to use google and email or call around, keeping in mind the ball is in your court so a little shoe leather is needed to find one that suits you....:2c:

[Hope]

The task is much easier than you expect.

There are some great on-line resources you will find if you google for them. trans411.org comes to mind.

But the best way to find a therapist is to get a referral from someone you know and trust. A doctor, or a friend you know who sees a therapist - a sane therapist. All you have to do is ask for a referral to a therapist who has experience dealing with gender variant clients - and you will get a few names. Since you are here and you are in Kansas - you might ask Julie Z who she sees...

Another place to seek out a sane therapist is through your local LGBT organization. They will have resources for you as well.

There are absolutely therapists who deal specifically with trans patience. Mine does.

One bulwark against getting a crazy person who wants to "fix" you is to look for a therapist with a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. And if you do end up with a nut for a therapist - you can always stop going there. It isn't a marriage - you never have to commit "to death do us part." If you have a therapist you are not happy with - get a new therapist. Your first visit with a new therapist should look a lot like an audition.

Cost is going to be a bit dependent on location and a variety of other factors. I would guess that you should expect to pay upwards of $100/hr. If you have good insurance they will likely pick up the tab for some of it. I pay $110/hr - when I had insurance I ended up paying about $70/hr, if i had had good insurance I would have payed less than that. Either way it is money WELL spent.

[Beth-Lock]

Dear W.
I think it is an invalid generalization to single out Christians. Some chuches are the most liberal and accepting places for us. On the other hand, some atheistic Freudians and behaviourists make the most unpleasant therapists, some hostile to the very idea that change of sex is even theoretically possible. No, you can't generalize. I think finding a good therapist is partly trial and error. There is no simple rule, except that up-to-date knowledge of the TS/TG phenomena seems to matter.

[Aprilrain]

I found mine who I love through asking around at my TS support group meeting. I'm sure prices are all over the board.

[Rayne1]

You might try Dr. graham Peveller at etherapy@gmail.com. He is gender therapist that is very understanding with Transgendered individuals; the cost is really very good. It would not hurt to give him a try. He will consult with you before any funds are required to see if you are happy with his program. He does a chat line Gendertherapy or if you have the program skype.com you can chat with him online video telephone calls which are free phone calls for you and you can still see him face to face in the privacy of your own home. He is a British citizen and has his bank account there but he lives with his Phillipino wife in the Phillipines.
I used him during my transition and letters that were required for many things including SRS. I still talk with him as a friend even after the need for a therapist.

[Stephenie S]

Don't ever think that just because you START with one therapist you have to stay with him/her. Remember, YOU are paying the therapist. They work for you. If you don't like the therapist (for WHATEVER reason), walk out and find another.

Any decent therapist will work with you to find a diagnosis that your insurance will cover. They want your money. Many therapists will work on a sliding scale if you have no insurance.

Do some online research. There are several web sites with lists of gender therapists by state. Good luck.

Stephie

[Stephanie-L]

All of what has been said is good advice. When I went looking for a therapist I tried the "Psychology today" website, they have a listing of therapists by area, speciality, etc. I looked for a therapist that had experience in gay and lesbian counselling since there were none in my area who advertised as gender counselors. It turned out that the lady I found had done some gender counselling and was comfortable helping me. This is important, you don't want to spend your very expensive sessions educating your therapist about gender issues. I agree that you should probably avoid Freudians, most of his theories have been discredited, his big accomplishment is he brought science to counselling. The only problem I had with my therapist was that she did not accept any insurance so I had to pay up front and file with the insurance for reimbursment, a hassle. I would probably have gone to her longer if that had not been the case, but she did help me a lot. You might also consider that a MD psychiatrist is more likely to prescribe medication while a PHD Psychologist is more likely to talk and perhaps give you homework (books to read, keep a diary, etc). This is a generalization, but since I don't like psychoactive meds, I picked the PHD. Good luck, Mine turned out very well, she was willing to write letters for hormones, etc, very quickly in the process............Stephanie

[Eryn]

Dear W.
I think it is an invalid generalization to single out Christians.

OTOH, there are some therapists who have been discussed in this forum whose goal it is to force clients to conform to the strictures of their church. For better or worse, most of these therapists proudly identify themselves as christian. I believe that these are the therapists that the OP was referring to.