Referal To Mental Health System...do I Mention Gender Issues?

[Guest CariadsCarrot]

My sister has recently after years of sever OCD finally started getting decent help from the mental heal system and she told me the other day she wants me to get that help too. She talked to her CPN today and found out that I can self refer without having to go through my GP (primary doctor) and got given a number for me to phone.

I don't really know what these people can help with but apparently they will ask about my issues when I phone (this will be difficult coz my sister says she's going to help me with the phone call and I'm worried about talking about stuff in front of her but it looks like I'm gonna have to)..I don't know what to say or how much to tell them. The reason my sister wants me to have this support is coz of self harm and OCD type stuff (she doesn't know I have other issues). Do I tell them about my gender issues? Could this be a way to get a gender therapist without having to talk to my GP? ...or is that just gonna confuse the issue of getting help with the other stuff and would I be better seeking support for the different issues separately?

Does anyone know anything about the UK mental health system and have any advice on this?

[Guest Tara Ann]

There's no guarantee your local Mental Health Trust will have someone trained in gender issues the only way to find out is to ask I suppose.

Up until 10 years ago the NHS didn't see 'talking therapies' such as counselling as real treatments so put little investment into them. Things are slowly changing now but many MHTs are still sadly lacking some services.

[Guest CariadsCarrot]

Thank you Kat. I was kinda thinking that.

To be honest I don't like the idea of having to tell them ANYTHING over the phone. It took me years to trust my therapist and now I'm being expected to open up to someone I haven't even met! I wouldn't be doing this at all if it wasn't for the fact that these people can offer me a better range of services than my current therapist and I will be sticking with seeing her to deal with most stuff. I don't know WHAT other services they can offer me exactly and maybe I'd have a better idea of what to say if I did.

Thanks Tara Ann, I don't know if they're gonna offer me counselling or anything or if it's more like groups and behaviour management training and stuff...like my sister is getting befriending and social group outings and stuff like that from them. I have a counsellor that I'm totally happy with for most things but she is not trained in gender therapy and she is not really helping me with my self harm (like she will talk about the self harm but she's too accepting and doesn't help me stop doing it).

I don't even know how it would work if they offered me counselling of linked me up with a gender therapist or whatever coz communicating face to face with people is so difficult. I manage to get the message across most of the time if it's something functional like ordering a drink or something but if it's having a conversation especially about stuff I feel people just don't understand me enough. I talk to my current therapist over MSN to get around that problem but I can't see a lot of therapists doing that!