Large Health Care Plans -- A Variation On A Theme

[VickySGV]

I have posted some of my Therapy story elsewhere on the boards here, but I want to put some critical points here in this Forum. Mine did not follow the "traditional format" in every detail, and if someone elses is not completely following what others think is the ONLY PATH, don't shoot at them or panic about their journey.

I belong to a major Managed Heathcare Organization (MHO) here in California and have for over 40 years. My initial request for GT with them back in late 2008 was met with a requirement that I first go into a Chemical Dependency Recovery Program, since I was in a serious relapse for alcohol abuse, and had added prescription drugs to the soup as well. My CDR treatment program covered bi monthly one on ones with a therapist, and at first, five group therapy sessions per week, plus community (IE AA) based care involvement. This tapered down to a single group therapy session plus whatever I did community wise over a 6 month period.

During my 1 on 1's with a "not otherwise specified" therapist, although he was in the CDRP group, and was a recovering alcoholic himself, we openly discussed my gender issues along with my drinking, and a Co-dependency issue I had not resolved twenty years before, The drinking and co-dependency became items to be taken into our group sessions which were handled by other therapists on the staff of the CDRP team there. Along the way there were little reports being made in a part or my file that they let me see online at the Behavioral Medicine Center, and that I was to talk to my therapist about, or just enjoy. The reports from the other therapists all were involved with my attitude of helpfullness and listening to the other patients and my own progress on the Alcohol and Co-dep recovery, but they felt I was holding something back that they were hoping I would get out on the table so to speak. At the time I progresssed into the once a week therapy groups, my therapist and i had left the Alcohol/Co-dep topic except for a few moments on general questions about urges and triggers I had felt. The rest of our sessions had become involved in my gender issues, but I did not notice it really. During my third Level Four therapy group session, I came out to the group about my gender issues almost without intending to do it. Some of the others were trying to unravel why they kept returning to such things as Speed or Meth, or booze when they really wanted to get clean and sober, why couldn't they do it? I can still see the looks on their faces when I told them about the fear and terror I had had since I was a child and my total disgust with myself in that time. In a nutshell, I let out a flood in just a few minutes. When I saw my therapist two days later, I knew that he knew what I had done, he simply smiled and said that I had definitely shaken a few of my fellow clients up a bit, but that all of them he had heard about by then had done some serious work with their therapists.

With my fear of coming out to my group over, the next few weeks were easier for me to deal with, and my "loveletters" from the staff reflected that. Finally my therapist asked me what I intended to do once I was out of the CDRP program and how they could help me get to it. I told him pretty easily that my goal was to get GT and start HRT. He asked if I could come back the next day, which yes I could. We went into see the Psychiatrist who supervised the CDRP team, and he let me in on a happy secret. Both he and my therapist had training in gender issues, especially in regard to CDR people, and they had consulted and shared my file with a fully trained and experienced GT in the MHO, who was going to sign off with them on my referral to Endocrinology. In addition to them, two of the other therapists in CDR would also be happy to sign it off too!!

An SRS surgeon I spoke with a few months ago has said she is fine with a single letter like that, and one of my lunch companions at the WPATH conference last September, who turned out to be on the SOC7 team also was comfortable with what had happened to me.

Moral of this long story, take care of ALL your business into therapy. The bigger health organizations may have a little different route than the one you hear of legend, but real work is up to YOU and not a therapist. When my work was over the GD remained, go work on it.

[Guest eliza.d]

very interesting story vicky. very informative.

as you may know from some of my other posts my moms an alcoholic.

i had used pot and the like for years as an escape from my gd. havent touched the real stuff in Y

years, but i was hooked on synthetics which were legal here in sc,nc for quite some time. oddly enough, once i began to come out to everyone and began to see my gt, the drug use stopped. havent even looked back. now that im on hrt, i know what i was looking for. and i know with confidence that i will never take anything that effects my judgement and clarity again.

the drugs just made it worse back then. it was no escape, but a downward spiral.

now im happy and living for once. instead of stumbling thru life like a mindless zombie,

im very happy you got the help you needed. youve helped me a lot too.

bless you,

Eliza