New to the community, but lurking for ever and stuck inside my egg for the past decade. I finally hit the wall where I was either going to come out or break down. So far, I’m super lucky to have a fantastic and understanding spouse who has my back, but that’s literally the extent of my support network. I’ve always been pretty shy and impersonal, so I have a very tiny friend group. That said, I’m over 40 and can’t wait to transition any longer. I just can’t seem to find any physicians in my area that I don’t think will either deny me care or treat me like I’m a liar. I’m fine with going straight to an endochrinoligist and signing an informed consent, but I really think I should see a therapist or counselor about some things I’ve been struggling with. I’m just having a difficult time of knowing who I can and can’t trust, and I don’t really have anyone around to ask. The only out transfem I know is a professional acquaintance and I’m way too scared to out myself to her yet. I’ve gone through most of the publicly available lists and tools for finding practitioners but they either don’t take my insurance or don’t cover my area. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this? I want to get started so badly because I feel like I already missed out on so much of life as my true self, but the roadblock now seems to be that I can’t even trust my family physician to know who I really am.

  • Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    1 day ago

    If you’re in the US, here’s a big list of resources that could help you figure out where you want to go! There are multiple provider finders for gender-affirming care, therapy, financial assistance, and all sorts of stuff. I do recommend seeing a therapist (like a LICSW)! Not only is therapy wonderfully helpful in finding out who you are, but if you’re looking for some types of care further down the line, insurance may require a letter from a qualified professional (sometimes even 2 different ones depending on what you want; I have a therapist and a psychiatrist so I go to them). Getting things documented and tracked would be to your benefit if you ever need a letter.

    I wish you luck on your journey!

    EDIT: Gender Justice League is based in Washington State, so there will be many resources specific to Washington, but there are also national resources listed that you can search through!

    • ncc21166@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      Thank you for the info! I’ve been reading about the need for letters already, and definitely want to see a therapist. The one time I saw one locally for possibly? unrelated issues didn’t go so well (“you shouldn’t schedule further appointments with me”, what?). I’m actually in NJ, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to use your list, but hopefully others who run across this post can!