Outfit For Psychiatrist

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

What do people think? is it ok? I think it would be a mistake to go uber fem. Especially for a first appointment, I mean this isn't someone who specialises in gender issues or whatever, in fact they're a locum. This is just the person who decides if I really have GD or am just generic crazy.

no face, 1 I don't like looking at it myself it totally spoils the image, and 2 I don't know yet how comfortable I am with having identifing pics hitting image search with these types of keywords.

Any suggestions / comments welcome.

Also on the topic of seeing the shrink, generally just any advice you might be able to give me, I'm a little worried that I'm going to tell him/her (I wish I knew which) about how much happier I am, and that I seem to have just about defeated my depression and the shrink will say, well if you're happy now then you obviously don't need to transition.

[Guest Donna Jean]

Sweetheart.....

The top rocks...the bottom sux....you asked...

Honey, you'll be just fine, I know that doing this is hard..and you're all a twitter...

I was..

Open up...tell all.

You'll be so surprised how good it feels..

You'll do just fine!

LOVE

Donna Jean

[Guest julia_d]

Looks fine.. but try standing with your feet together.

I treat shrinks and GT's with the contempt they deserve after 8 years of neglect and abuse in the north.. These people can't help me any more. I'm there and I don't need them any more... not as it means jumping through their superficial and pointless hoops yet again.

Just go and be yourself.. my first 4 appointments with my consultant I looked and presented pretty much male.. a rough place and a long bus ride.. and a walk through the Langworthy area of Salford.. but my appearance didn't hinder anything. They know up to a certain time in transition we present in our original gender, and the clock only actually starts ticking once we legally change our name for everything.

[Guest NatalieRene]

I'd have to agree with Dona Jean those pants look terrible. Color wise and pattern they are good with the shirt but the holes are a show stopper and maybe get a pair a size longer (you kind of look like you're ready for a flood). However the shoes just don't go wit your outfit at all. You have a blue tone outfit and brown just doesn't go with it. I would suggest trying to find a orange or orange-red pair of shoes. They are complementary colors.

I wouldn't worry too much about showing up in female mode for therapy. It's not a requirement. I've always gone to therapy in male or very discreet female clothing because of my personal anxiety of going out in public looking like a guy in a dress.

What I'm trying to say, is go to your therapist in something that you are comfortable in.

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

i have black jeans that might be a better choice and are longer. i'm rather limited in choice right now, having spent all my money on laser.

standing with my feet together is actually quite difficult, my legs are naturally splayed so if i stand with my knees pointing forward my feet point outward at about that angle, there isn't much I can do about it, an operation to correct it would've involved having both my legs broken. I can stand for a pose but then my knees can look weird, but i certainly can't walk that way, I try to at least walk with my feet stepping slightly in front of each other, but walking with them facing straight forward is a no no.

[Sally]

Sam,

I'd go with the black pants and I understand about the limited funds - also only go en femme f you are comfortable with it - I wasn't due to the long drive to get there so I went in male mode (unless you count the fact that I was wearing panties and pantyhose under my slacks), I went in male mode and changed into a skirt and high heel sandals in the office for my second and for the third I just put on a nice peasant skirt, a soft shell and those same sandals and walked right through the lobby - my first time outside of my house dressed and it felt great.

The point is be comfortable and tell all - it isn't bad that you are happier because you have identified the source of your misery!

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

I don't drive, so it'l either be two buses, or about a 3.5 mile walk, which I did the other week so if the weather isn't too bad, it all helps shed those calories. I don't mind being out in the types of clothing I tend to wear, I just tend to look gay.

[Guest julia_d]

Good for you.. I have to do a 400 mile round trip in March.. not that it worries me in the slightest.. This old SE4 girl isn't fazed by a long way.. not after cup final day in Liverpool anyway.

Now about finances.. Have you thought about trying to get your laser place and your doctor to apply to the pct for funding? I managed to get mine paid for through the NHS.. because my local hospitals don't provide the service at all. It's worth a shot.. especially after you pass the test with the unqualified locum (remember... this person is not an expert.. they are just putting you through one of the unnecessary hoops they require in their twisted abuse based "treatment" regime). Don't forget.. GID in the UK IS classed as a mental illness.. what you will get from the appointment should be a clean slate for any co-morbidity, though there is nothing wrong with pointing up the depression and anguish your dysphoria causes you daily..

They moved the goalposts 5 years after I was diagnosed properly.. I didn't have toi see a shrink before starting out.. my consultant was a psycho-sexologist.. a REAL expert psychiatrist and gender specialist.. so I only needed a second opinion before surgery (and that's where it all messed up due to some mix up between health service areas)

You are lucky you are close to where you need to go.. Closest I have ever been has involved a minimum of an hour on public transport.

Guidelines..

Be yourself

Be confident

Tell the truth (even if it sounds bad.. honesty shows and a shrink CAN tell)

Be nervous if that suits.. It's normal to be apprehensive.. remember we are all actors.. have been all our lives.. so we can be anything we want (thanks Cally)

Remember.. GD is generally a self diagnosed condition.. be sure of yourself and don't get sidelined.

Watch out for any little tricks.. They do try little tricks.. like shaking hands. Remember to sit female and any little mannersims you have picked up deploy them in the most natural way you can.

It's ok to talk to these people.. just be a little careful if you have any doubts not to show them. Those get dealt with later when you actually see a specialist.. and again are a normal part of the process. I went through a few years deciding if it was really worth the effort and loss and misery to get an end result.. and look at me now.. I remember the last time I heard that little voice telling me it wasn't worth the trouble.. 6 years ago now..

Remember this one little thing.. Are you happier as you are now? .. does dressing and feeling female make life easier to cope with and feel right? .. answer yes to that pair and you know you are doing the right thing... stuff what the rest of the world thinks.. this doesn't involve them.

10th March I'm in London and should be free for a coffee or something from about 3.30 .. It's been 13 years since I was last there.

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

Are you saying a GID diagnosis by default would nix my previous mental health diagnoses?

[Guest insanitylives]

Shoes don't match at all. Something not brown/pink, like, blue or black, since that's the rest of what you're wearing.

other than that it's fine.

[Guest sarah f]

I see you bought the shoes you really wanted. Good for you. By the way, I like the outfit. You should go in whatever makes you happy.

Love,

Sarah F

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

I'll wear my black jeans, then I think it will transition ok. I like my new shoes dangit! and I like the top cos it has a similar pattern, tho I have another one which is grey. I just wanted to wear something a bit more grown up than my bright pink tinker bell tshirt.

[Guest DisDwarf]

these shoes are just incredibly cute! I'm still shopping for pink shoes here, havent found anything suitable for me yet (once found a nice pair but was way too small)... maybe i'll just settle for something like yours.

[Guest Donna Jean]

I'll wear my black jeans, then I think it will transition ok. I like my new shoes dangit! and I like the top cos it has a similar pattern, tho I have another one which is grey. I just wanted to wear something a bit more grown up than my bright pink tinker bell tshirt.

LOL....Sweetheart....go for it!

Donna Jean

[Guest sarah f]

I want to see your bright pink tinker bell t-shirt. I think you would look cute in it with your shoes.

Love,

Sarah F