Eve,

Well, for what it's worth, I have some recent experience with a "regular" therapist vs a gender therapist.  Both are very good, but my current therapist, the gender therapist, has worked with many transgender clients (patients?), and I find that very reassuring in terms of working with her.  I'm not sure there's much difference beyond that, others might have that experience.  I think it's just a matter of specialization.

Christie

I have nothing to measure on in regards to a general practicing therapist to a therapist with expertness with trans people. With that said my two therapist, one female to male and one cisgender female both bring with them a vast amount of experience which ebbs out of them in their insight and challenges to clients which I can not image can occur with a general practicing therapist. 

In regards to your trip, makes me want to say "can I come too?". Never been to Europe and would love too.   

Yeah but what do they do, what is the dialogue (generically)? We don't have them here and I'm interested to find out LoL

Eve

Yeah Karen, it'd be nice to meet you! Guess we'd have a fair bit to talk about...................

Cheers,

Eve

The dialog (in my still brief experience with her) is very similar to any other therapist, I think it's more about her experience, that she knows more about the process, problems, benefits, etc. of transitioning both from her own research and work with other clients.  It's not that a "regular" therapist can't work with a transgender person in transition, but they might not know some things that are helpful (the effect of hormones, etc.)

hmmm I see,

It sounds to me to be just the same stuff that we help each other with in our community, do you also have to see 3 psychiatrists before HRT and GRS?

You know, I've only ever seen one therapist and that was a Hypnotherapist the other week when I was in Brighton, to help with weight loss............Therapists (whatever sort) just aren't common in the UK, so I'm really trying to get my head round what you US girls do.

Cheers,

Eve

My experience in Oregon was see a therapist, get a letter to give to a doctor, that's it. Then the doctor (as luck was she is male to female) asked me questions, listen and approved me. My guess is the norm is unlike this, it all depends whom you see. Me, seeing a female to male therapist and a male to female doctor is rare if you ask me. 

Well that sounds a lot more straightforward than in the UK, the 3 psych's are the norm here, 1 local, and 2 at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic in London. That being said my doctor prescribed me with oestrogen patches to stop me self meding, so I was lucky and got a great start, but I still have had to go through the process anyway, and then after seeing the psych's, I saw the endocrinologist who upped my patch dosage and prescribed Decapeptyl injections.

So no, I'm also not typical of the UK NHS route.

Thanks for the answers, they're appreciated.

Cheers,

Eve