Therapy or no therapy?

[Elaine]

Hello everyone... my first post here! Just a real quick bio so you know where I'm coming from -- I'm a student and planning to go full-time within 4-years with srs in my future (will transition when I move away for grad school). I've been out to most of my close family and friends for a couple years now and have become completely comfortable with who I am. My eventual career is very important to me and I intend to be living full time well before I get that far.

I'm looking for a little advice/infortmation.

First, I will say that my very first experience with a therapist wasn't great, but only because my mom essentially forced me to go after she caught me dressed (seems like an eternity ago now). I didn't gain anything from that person because I was trying to convince my mom that it was "just a phase" (I knew it wasn't, I just wasn't ready to come out).

Anywho, last year I went away to the University of North Dakota (yes, conservative central). By this time I'd evolved a lot and was starting to accept the fact that I would proabably want to transition. Halfway through the first semester I decided I wanted to talk to someone and found a therapist right in the same town (the only town for 80 miles, which was Fargo)! Only now do I realize how lucky I was to find this person, she was fantastic! She really understood me and I credit some of my self-acceptance to her help. If I hadn't transferred to a local university (I'm living home now, and the local school is much more suited to my major), I likely would have told her I wanted to go on HRT by now and I'm sure she would have approved of it.

Unfortunately, I now find myself 1,700 miles away and wanting very badly to be on hormones.

Now, I'll ask for that advice :). I've been looking for another local therapist with the hope of eventually going on HRT, but I've not found one with TG experience within reasonable distance! At this point I'm not really looking for psychological counsel; I really do feel comfortable with who I am and I know what I want, and the thought of having to start all over again with a new therapist after I'd already gotten so far with my previous one just kills me! I'd been under the impression for a while that a TG person has to be working with a therapist of sorts to be able to get on hormones, but now I'm not sure... could I just go straight to an endocrinologist? Is that advisable? And one last question, the one therapist I've found nearby with TG credentials from a local support group is titled RCSW (social worker) -- is that a high enough qualification to be of sufficient help for someone who plans to transition? If I go back to therapy I really wanted to see a PhD (or some kind of doctor), but this person is recommended and is right near the university.

Thank you all!

~Elaine Haupt

[Helana]

Elaine

A therapist can only be as good as you want them to be. Their job is to make you reflect on yourself and ask yourself the right questions. You said yourself that your previous experience was not useful because you were not approaching it with the correct frame of mind. You can only get out what you are prepared to put in.

Although it helps to have one with TG experience, it is not strictly necessary. It is just as important that you feel comfortable with the therapist and that he/she is able to get you to open up and discuss your own thoughts. You may have to shop around until you find the one that is good for you.

[Elaine]

Thanks for the responses.

I wound up callling that one person I found and good thing I did, because her recommendation was definately warrented... she's been active in the TG community for a long time and works with several endocrinologists -- and she was nice to talk to :)