Use Caution When Contacting Service Providers

[Dev]

Evening!

 

We had an email from a site visitor today that led to a couple of changes on our site, and I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of them.  This visitor found a therapist in our database - someone who had contacted us to let us know he works with trans people - and scheduled an appointment.  During their visit, he extolled the virtues of an anti-trans activist and recommended reading "articles" written by the guy.

 

Yes, we removed him from our database.

 

To address this issue, we've made a couple of changes.  First, questions have been added to the form businesses use to submit themselves for inclusion in our database.  The aim of these questions is to make certain they've taken steps to ensure a trans-positive, affirming experience for those who come their way.

 

Also, we've edited the page with the resource locator itself.  It now includes a caution to those who reach out to businesses they find there.  When you contact someone you find through our database or any other online directory of practitioners, we recommend asking when you schedule your appointment if they are welcoming of trans clients.  If you're not happy with the answer they give you, don't give them your business.

 

If you run into problems with one of these practitioners - such as our visitor mentioned above did - please contact us right away to let us know. 

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled forums!

[Carolyn Marie]

Thanks for the quick action on this revelation, Dev.  Asking questions of service providers is always a good idea, and a good one will always be happy to answer them.

 

Regarding therapists, in particular, readers might want to check out this thread that contains a lot of good advice.

 

Carolyn Marie

 

[GothicLucas]

Thanks for working hard and looking out for the community!

[Robin68]

You folks are on the ball! Keep on keepin' on!

[Gretch]

This is so frightening. As a mom of a young trans-boy (he is 11), who is looking for a therapist to help with anxiety around general and body dysphoria, I would want to trust a therapist to help him talk through feelings. The possibility that a therapist could possibly steer my child wrong is a nightmare.....   

[Ashley0616]

Y'all are definitely doing a great job on securing the site. Maybe I'll be able to contribute once I get up there. I'm a stay at home woman so I definitely have time. As you can tell by all my posts lol. Hugs!

[SamC]

I have long struggled to be accepted.  It seems these days there are more accepting people, but also more who are virulently unaccepting and government and private entities that feel free to deny, oppress and prey on us. Thank you for making the world a little safer for us

[HollyElizabeth]

May I ask the names of the people that you removed for those of us that might not be aware of the people. Like I don’t want to stumble upon these people in search of support. 

[Carolyn Marie]

2 minutes ago, HollyElizabeth said:

May I ask the names of the people that you removed for those of us that might not be aware of the people. Like I don’t want to stumble upon these people in search of support. 

 

@HollyElizabeth, we don't keep the names of persons or businesses we've removed from our service locator pages.  Even if we did, mentioning them here would defeat the purpose of removing them, and would give them a "second life" on our site.  If you follow the advice of Dev and myself on this thread, you will have a good chance of avoiding any charlatans out there.  But it will always be each person's responsibility to do the homework required to select quality service providers.

 

Carolyn Marie

[HollyElizabeth]

Ok. Sorry for asking. 

[Charlize]

I was fortunate to find my gender therapist through the recommendation of a trans woman i met.  I love the amazing amount of data that our members have collected and that has been given to us but there are often support centers within a reasonable distance of most of us who can better suggest local help.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Carolyn Marie]

4 hours ago, HollyElizabeth said:

Ok. Sorry for asking. 

 

Questions are welcome, always.  There is nothing to be sorry about, hon.

 

Carolyn Marie

[missyjo]

I'll add my overdue n well deserved

 

THANK YOU for all you ladies do to keep this site n the world a bit safer for us, n to help us, and, frankly, for being our friends n family. thank you  

 

hugs

missy jo

[JessicaMW]

This seems like an ongoing problem. I have contacted two therapist, found on-line through PsycologyToday.com "Find a Therapist". Both seemed like a great fit and after providing a great deal of personal information including insurance information, one never responded back the other's office manager responded back quickly with a we look forward to working with you and will be placed on a waitlist (been on the waitlist for over a year). I'm beginning to suspect that some of these "providers" are just a way for nefarious groups to collect data on people and create "lists". This may be part of the downside of living in a state like Texas who's Attorney General requested a list of all persons who had changed their gender marker on their drivers license. 
My PC physician who has been very supportive has provided great advice to seek help through the VA, which has also been highly supportive. I only hope that this support can survive a possible second Trump administration with Stephen Miller creating his own lists.

[KatieSC]

Yeah, I used that website when I first started to look for therapists. They basically just check off a bunch of things they say they will cover regardless of whether they really have expertise. When I started to look for a therapist in a western state, at first she said she could do it, but then said she had no real experience with a transgender person. I was anxious to get the ball rolling. I talked to her several times about counseling. I assured her that it would be okay. I even offered to pay for her continuing education in transgender health. She went ballistic and defensive. Needless to say, I ruled her out. 

 

One thing that would clearly help is better clarity as to who really is capable of counseling. The other huge thing is approval for the interstate compact so that psychiatric counselors can cross state lines via web conferencing. When the Covid emergency declarations ended, so did interstate counseling. I think the psychiatrists can still do the interstate thing, but the counselors cannot. The speech language pathologists cannot perform Telehealth services either.

 

The last thing of caution is that there are many counselors who will not accept insurance. Part of that is that the rates paid are incredibly low, and fighting with insurance companies is very time consuming. What I do resent is that we are a vulnerable group, and we can easily be taken advantage of. It is not only the psych counselors not taking insurance. There are a number of surgeons who won't do it either. I know who some of the surgeons are who demand cash payments up front, and wow, some are pretty expensive. 

 

Granted, fighting with insurers is not fun for either the patient or the healthcare provider.