Therapist Question

[Guest ITGurlAshley2013]

Hi everybody!!

I had been looking for a gender therapist in my area (Central Arkansas) for quite some time, and in my research one name ,Dr. Ralph Hyman, kept coming up on most every trans resource site or publication I searched (including Laura's). Now, Dr. Hyman is listed numerous places when doing a internet search and his buisiness is listed as The Psychotherapy Center, but his specialties are not listed and there is no website for he or his business that I could find.

Since it seems that Dr. Hyman is pretty well known to our community I decided to call him to make an appointment, but I was told that he had no openings until the first of the year. Although this news was not what I wanted to hear, he did tell me that he wanted to refer me to another therapist in his office named George Ramser MA LPC. I jumped on the first chance and called him and left a message. I recieved a prompt call back and was told that he could see me in two days. I went to the appt and he was very nice, I mostly just talked about myself and the things that I am having issues with. I thought there would be more questions but I did most of the talking....lol. Some things that I noticed was that he told me that he was out of intake forms and that he would email me one or I could fill one out next time, and I left there with a ton of questions still.

As I said before George Ramser is very nice, he has even text messaged me a couple of times to see how I was doing. But, after the appt he didn't mention a second appt. But later that evening he texted me, I texted him back saying that I wanted another appt to discuss his thoughts on HRT and just to talk some more, and he said I could come back this Tues (which would be less than a week). I do not have the insurance which he accepts, so my appts are $100 each time!! (btw, that's alot to me!)

So, my question is if anyone here has any experience with or info about George Ramser, and what my next steps should be from here. I feel so lost right now when it comes to these things, because my MAIN goal is transition and starting HRT as soon as possible, so I really can't afford to waste time or money with providers who might beat around the bush.

Thank you all!

Ashley

[Guest Sarah Faith]

Interestingly enough my initial experience was much the same. I contacted a fairly well known therapist in the Denver area and was told she was not accepting new patients and she referred me to another therapist. It varies from therapist to therapist when they will feel comfortable writing a letter and often its case by case. Your therapist is going to want to get a good feeling about your situation and your life, it took my therapist nearly 3 years to even be willing to write the letter but that was mainly due to my obesity at the time.

Really the only advice in regards to therapy is just be honest you can't really make them write a letter any sooner than they are comfortable. Also the WPATH requirement for a therapist letter is no longer a strict requirement so if you must get started on HRT then you can actually find doctors who no longer require a letter to start HRT for transgender care. I know I didn't want to pay my therapist a bunch of money to write the letter so that is the route I took. It's important to understand though if you are looking to undergo HRT you will still need a therapists letter, so even if you do go with informed consent with a doctor you should continue therapy and keep your therapist in the loop. That way when the time comes you will have the ability to get the letters you need.

[Charlize]

Asley, i'm sorry but i've never heard of your therapist. It sounds like your first meeting went well. I had to wait for a month to see my therapist at first so getting to see one without a wait is great. Mine was also 50$ more per visit which was quite a hit out of pocket. If i remember correctly we had 3 sessions before we talked about HRT. More important to me was making sure i knew my path with as much certainty as possible and the issues of coming out including help with my wife and family. She was great and the money i spent was well worth it. HRT came pretty quickly but even then i had to wait for an appointment with a good clinic. I sense in you a desire for speed. That is just like me but the time was actually a good thing. Try to have patience and enjoy the ride. The destination is only reached fully in our minds. The journey is here for us to enjoy.

Hugs,

Charlie

[Guest Carla_Davis]

Hi,

You may want to look into finding an LGBT Center for Therapy.

I originally started my Gender Therapy at the LGBT Community Center of NYC.

The fee was based on “sliding scale”, the less you earn, the less you pay.

They provided GT and also referred me for HRT.

It was very reasonable.

Today, it is FREE.

When I later went to a Private GT, he charged me $175.00 per session (1hour)

You might want to look into the NWA Center for Equality in Fayetteville, AK.

They offer Peer Groups for Transgender & Genderqueer.

The Groups are FREE and you can ask other members where and how much their therapy costs.

Even if you DO NOT join, you can always call the Center and ask about referrals they use for GT.

http://www.lgbtcenters.org/Centers/Arkansas/465/NWA-Center-for-Equality.aspx

Peer Groups

http://www.nwaequality.org/peercommunity

Transgender / Genderqueer Support

Meets last Sunday of every month, 4p-6p Facilitator: Garin, [email protected]

I wish you Success and Happiness on your Journey.

Hugs,

Carla

[Guest ITGurlAshley2013]

Thank you all for your honest and helpful replies!

Yes, it is true that I feel a great sense of urgency to move forward with my life. I feel as though I have been trapped for so long that now, after I've been honest with myself and some loved ones, I must act soon or risk not being able to later. I am scared that not starting now will allow my fears to grow over time and then I'll be trapped in a limbo, which I can't do after coming out to above mentioned loved ones.

I know I'm probably just worrying too much, but because of the cost of this whole process I really just need to make sure I don't waste any time or resources if I can help it. The programs in Fayettville (northwest Arkansas area) sound interesting, but they are 3+ hours away from me so I think I will call them and ask about any groups or information closer to me.

Again, I want to say thank you to everyone for the replies and help!

Ashley