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View Full Version : Need info on the process of male-to-female pre-op psychological evaluation



Seraph
04-19-2006, 03:34 PM
Hello, I understand if I want to go through the male-to-female transition (gender reassignment/sex change), a psychological evaluation by a psychologist is required before being approved for the surgery. Does anyone know where I can find books or online information in order to find out more about the procedures, the type of questions I might be asked, what to expect and etc? Any book recommendation? Thanks in advance. :)

DonnaT
04-19-2006, 04:49 PM
This is not a test you can bone up for to get a passing grade. There is nothing online or in books that will give you the "correct answers".

If you're serious about transitioning, then be honest with the therapist. You don't want to make a mistake by giving answers you think they want to hear.

Of course, it is your life, and you have to live with any mistakes you make, just don't make irreversable mistakes.

Christina Nicole
04-19-2006, 07:36 PM
What Donna said is essentially correct except that you can study up for the "test" and "pass" it. The transition industry is a little mini industry. There are therapists who will approve nearly anyone for hormones and even SRS if the patient says the right words. It's not hard. You can find the "right" therapists by perusing the various TS web sites. Those sites will also tell you the right things to say. All you have to do is tell the same stories as those women, and you'll be on your way.

It has been postulated that so many post-op TSs commit suicide because either their therapist didn't properly prepare them, help them to provide support, or screen out the poor candidates. There are even a number of post-ops who have gone back to (or try to) live their life out in their former gender role. There aren't that many transsexuals. Screening out someone just means one less (bill paying) patient.

I know a therapist here in NJ who "treats" many patients. She pretty much offers HRT to all of her patients, even the ones who tell her that they are just CDers. While the Standards of Care suggest that using hormone therapy can be useful as a diagnostic aid, a crossdresser isn't going to be helped by having female hormones administered.

Warm regards,
Christina Nicole

Rikkicn
04-19-2006, 07:39 PM
Try tsroadmap.com
There are also some links on the the transsexual board

Clare
04-19-2006, 11:57 PM
This is not a test you can bone up for to get a passing grade. There is nothing online or in books that will give you the "correct answers".

If you're serious about transitioning, then be honest with the therapist. You don't want to make a mistake by giving answers you think they want to hear.

Of course, it is your life, and you have to live with any mistakes you make, just don't make irreversable mistakes.I have to agree with Donna implicitly.

It's how you feel inside that makes the difference, not the results of prepared answers to a Pysche evaluation. Go with you gut instinct and respond honestly. That way you'll receive the best outcome, even if it's not the one you're expecting. Remember, GRS is not a simple operation - it's life changing and you need to understand the long term effects of this procedure.

Natasha Anne
04-20-2006, 04:03 AM
I would read True Selves by Mildred Brown. It is informative and yet still does not give the "game" away. So it will stand you in good stead, and also help others around you deal with the potential changes you may be undergoing in the future.

Caitlyn
04-20-2006, 12:29 PM
Please please please just be honest.
If you tell them what you 'think' is the right answer to 'qualify for srs' and not what you really believe then you may end up having the same mental anguish that ts's have when in reality you may only be transgendered and not transsexual. They are here to help you, not TEST you.

Caitlintgsd
04-20-2006, 12:37 PM
Please please please just be honest.
If you tell them what you 'think' is the right answer to 'qualify for srs' and not what you really believe then you may end up having the same mental anguish that ts's have when in reality you may only be transgendered and not transsexual. They are here to help you, not TEST you.

Yea, I did that with my first counselor. It was mainly due to my being nervous. I always went in "drab" clothes too. After about 4 months she said that I was a CD with escapism tendencies. And she said we were done, if you need me you have my number, etc. What a waste of time and money. Yes, above all be honest and true. You won't be telling them anything that they probably haven't heard before.

deeasheville
04-20-2006, 05:46 PM
If the psychologist that you go to tries to tell you that you have unresolved issues with your mother or something like that, try someone else (they may know less about transgender or transsexuals than you).

:sad:

Sally24
04-20-2006, 06:54 PM
Here are a few links I've found helpful.

http://www.hbigda.org/Documents2/socv6.pdf

http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodesy/trans/words/mono.htm

http://heartcorps.com/journeys/everything/surgeons.htm

http://www.srsmiami.com/photography-m2f.html

http://www.kindredspiritlakeside.homestead.com/resources1.html

http://www.pamelaspalace.co.uk/mtfpsych.html

Good Luck!

Seraph
08-21-2006, 04:04 PM
Thank you all for the information and links!

I am going to check them out! :happy:

GypsyKaren
08-21-2006, 06:28 PM
Everyone has given a lot of good answers, I'd just like to add that as important it is to be honest with your therapist, you also must be honest with yourself.

Karen

Stlalice
08-21-2006, 08:59 PM
I'll add one more link to those you have been given - The International Foundation for Gender Education - www.ifge.org - It is run and staffed by TG/TS people and any advice you get from them if you call them will be good - every one of them has been there and done that. As for books - in addition to Brown's "True Selves" I recomend Jennifer Boylans "She's not There" both will give you a good feel for what it means to be transexual and looking at SRS. One final piece of advice - Don't be in a hurry and definitely don't try for shortcuts in the process. If you do you will only hurt yourself in the long run.

JenniferMint
08-22-2006, 12:18 AM
One final piece of advice - Don't be in a hurry and definitely don't try for shortcuts in the process. If you do you will only hurt yourself in the long run.

I kind of took some shortcuts myself. For example, I went to Dr. Murray Kimmel in Philadelphia, PA to have my testicles removed---he does this on an elective basis to pretty much anyone who asks for it, even if they are just non-transgendered males who want to eliminate their sex drives. And I got HRT by buying hormones over the internet (MedicaPharma.com). This was all with absolutely no therapist involvement.

In retrospect though, I spent years looking for and deliberating about the shortcuts. Had I gone to a therapist at the beginning, I might have figured out what I wanted to do sooner!

But if you're sure you know exactly what you want (that's hard though), you can pretty much shortcut everything except SRS. Maybe you can shortcut SRS too if the rumors about the Samui Clinic in Thailand performing SRS on M2Fs who didn't even look remotely female are true.

mecloset
08-31-2006, 04:29 PM
What Donna said is essentially correct except that you can study up for the "test" and "pass" it. The transition industry is a little mini industry. There are therapists who will approve nearly anyone for hormones and even SRS if the patient says the right words. It's not hard. You can find the "right" therapists by perusing the various TS web sites. Those sites will also tell you the right things to say. All you have to do is tell the same stories as those women, and you'll be on your way.

It has been postulated that so many post-op TSs commit suicide because either their therapist didn't properly prepare them, help them to provide support, or screen out the poor candidates. There are even a number of post-ops who have gone back to (or try to) live their life out in their former gender role. There aren't that many transsexuals. Screening out someone just means one less (bill paying) patient.

I know a therapist here in NJ who "treats" many patients. She pretty much offers HRT to all of her patients, even the ones who tell her that they are just CDers. While the Standards of Care suggest that using hormone therapy can be useful as a diagnostic aid, a crossdresser isn't going to be helped by having female hormones administered.

Warm regards,
Christina Nicole

I am curious where this therapist might be, I would love to go back on hormones but being there once and quitting for a while do to several reasons not the biggest which was lack of income. The therapist I had here in pa left practicing in pa and moved out of state, being NJ is not that far I could go there unless someone knows of a similar type person in Pa

Kimberley
08-31-2006, 07:42 PM
Check out the TS links on the main page here. There is a ton of information right there. It is a sticky.

Kimberley

cindianna_jones
09-01-2006, 12:52 AM
After all I went through, losing my family, my job, everything... I decided to be open with my therapists. I surprised them by the perspective I had on the whole thing. To me, the concept of me being a woman in a man's body was absurd. Not wrong for others, but it wasn't how I felt. Because I knew that I had XY chromosomes, so therefore I was a man. But I have always wanted to be female. I didn't feel that I was an actor, pretending to be male all the time. I was just always consumed with wanting to be female. It may have been just a minor argument of semantics. But I insisted that what I felt was honest and true. It didn't delay my transition at all. I met the criteria (I had no clue what it was) and that was good enough.

Cindi