gender Therapist vrs General therapist?

[Jessica37]

hello everyone,
Due to Due to insurance Policies, I'm forced to follow their guide lines if I wish to seek further therapy to little or no cost. The problem is, that none of their therapist Specialize in tansgender/transexual issues. So my question is would i get the same treatment and uderstanding from their Generalized Therapist compared to a therapist who specializes in gender issues??


I could really use some thoughts and advice..
thanks,
Jessica<3

[StaceyJane]

It depends, You really should talk to any prospective therapist to see what there views of gender issues are.

[LeaP]

You should be able to get the same treatment – if you mean a trained, disciplined approach to analysis and therapy. The analysis will be inefficient at best, though, because the therapist will not have the experience to recognize common symptoms and patterns associated with gender. And even if the analysis is done right in the end, therapy may be a little catch as catch can, because the therapist is not skilled in handling gender patients from a therapeutic standpoint. In other words, you are a bit of an experiment, even if the experimenter (the therapist) has the basic skills and education to try.

The problem is not just the gender is a niche practice area, it's that it is a very deep specialty in its own right. There are clinics and practices, professional organizations, a body of research, specialized techniques, and a history to this practice area that make it so. Someone who has not been trained in the topic or been exposed to a significant number of patients in order to develop the knowledge may have almost no knowledge of the topic whatsoever. Literally. As in perhaps there was a chapter or two in a text at school or it was discussed briefly in a classroom once or twice.

If you can find a therapist who is committed to active involvement with their patients, who will read and investigate as they go along, who can take input from you (meaning you will have to commit to helping educate them), it can work out. Think of the stories of ordinary family practice doctors who sometimes are in the news is having diagnosed, or even discovered, a rare illness. Such things do happen. Unfortunately, for each such doctor there are many others who missed the diagnosis, mistreat, and where the patient suffers or even dies.

I don't say that to scare you off. Rather, you need to look for a therapist who is intellectually curious and actively engaged. Find somebody that will work hard on your behalf is half the battle anyway.

[melissakozak]

I can speak from personal experience on this level. I have had very caring and compassionate therapists, for years, who were not trained in gender issues. Last summer, I finally started seeing a counselor who specializes in transpeople, and I can tell you it makes a WORLD of difference because what we experience is so far out of the ordinary it actually requires someone who knows what we are going through. I have made more progress on becoming a happier, far more stable person as a result of therapy directed at helping me finding who I am and what I need. Any counselor can help you figure some things out, but let's be honest, being transsexual or transgender puts such a unique strain on all aspects of your life, the counselor simply can't help with all aspects of it. If you plan on transition, you definitely need a counselor who has helped guide others through. If you are not planning on transition, you might still need help figuring out how far along the T spectrum you would like to go or need to go, etc. Get my drift?

Both my psychiatrist and other counselor had NEVER had any prior trans experience, and both have been practicing for two to three decades. So, we are not a common type of patient (I hate to use that word.) My gender therapist knows which questions to ask, she also knows about coming out, and she knows a lot about how to guide me through the process of becoming happy while also being transgender. This is NOT easy.

Most recently, a level of never before felt PRIDE has started to come over me......I am proud to be transgendered. I wouldn't change it if I could. Because I finally have accepted WHO I am. A lot of this has been thanks to my gender counselor. She is positive, affirming and gets every aspect of me.

Hugs, Melissa.....

[Stephanie-L]

I have to agree that of course it is better to find someone who has experience with gender issues if possible. If you can't then at least try to find someone who has experience dealing with gay/lesbian issues, though it isn't the same, at the least they will have some insight into the problems that people who are not in the "mainstream" of society will face. Often therapists who deal with gay/lesbian clients also have some experience in transgender issues, even if they don't list it in their areas of expertise. Good luck to you............Stephanie