Frequency of visits to a gender therapist?

[Rowan.]

Hello,

 

Financially, I'm not in the best position to see a gender therapist at the moment. I'm not employed and need to use my meager savings for things like food and rent. I'll be looking for a job in the next 3 weeks, and hopefully will find something decent. In my neck of the woods there seems to be at least a 1 month waiting period to see someone. What would really help me at the moment are answers to the following questions:

 

1. If I had to pay out of pocket, what rate should I expect?
2. How long is a session, 30 minutes, an hour, longer?
3. What is a "normal" frequency of appointments (once a week, biweekly, monthly).
4. Do gender therapists do sliding scale? If so, is there an easy way to find them?

 

I realize that the answer to these questions probably vary from person to person. But I really cant afford to spend $200.00 weekly at this point in time (this is my guess as to what a session might cost). I may be able to spend about $200.00 once a month, though. I could probably talk myself into it at least.

 

I'm very new to all of this so, I've decided to put my ego in check and take reasonable advice when it's given. While getting a therapist is not something that's in my nature or my upbringing, I've considered the advantages and they far exceed the negatives.

 

Thank you <3

[KathyLauren]

That is a hard one to answer.  Different market, different currency, different client needs.

 

I saw one that charged $100 an hour and another one that charged $160 an hour.  A visit is typically 50 minutes, billed as one hour.  Some therapists might be open to discussing a sliding scale; some might not.

 

The visit frequency depends on your needs.  In one case, I had two sessions back to back (i.e. a two-hour session) just to minimize my commuting time.  You would probably discuss your needs in terms of visit frequency during your first session.

 

How many visits you need altogether again depends on your needs.  I say the $160 therapist for four sessions, and the $100 therapist for two sessions.  That's because I was pretty clear in my mind who I was and what I needed, and I just needed to meet the requirements for informed consent.  If you have some deep exploration to do, you would need more sessions.

 

I don't know how much help that is.  The best way to find out what the situation is in your local area is to start calling around.

 

[KayC]

Hi Rowan.
I am fortunate that my medical insurance covers therapy.  So, its very little out of pocket.  Once you get a job, and since Open Season for Obamacare is coming up, I hope you can get insurance coverage. 

Any chance your are a military service veteran?  Is so, VA offers coverage.

Or! Do you qualify for Medicaid in Oregon?  I found this article online

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/10/376154299/in-oregon-medicaid-now-covers-transgender-medical-care

 

In the meantime, there may be local support groups you can attend (for free) or resources for sliding-scale coverage in your area.  Normally a therapist will suggest frequency of visits based on what they perceive as your needs (and of course your ability to pay may come into consideration). 

I know its new and a bit overwhelming but just keep plugging and I know something will open up for you.  Its really worth it in the end❣️

[MiraM]

The last time I paid out of pocket for a gender therapist, it was $110 for a 1 hour session.  I saw her once a month, though I needed to see her more, but finances did not allow it.  When I went into a major depression and was not able to work for two years, she worked out a barter system to cover the sessions.  I had been working as a chef previously, and to cover the sessions while I was not working, I would do some meal prep for her.  Some therapists are willing to work with you.

 

My current therapist, who I have been seeing since 2017 is through the VA, so there is no out of pocket expense.  I have had mostly weekly sessions with her the entire time because there was a lot of work to do with depression, and C-PTSD, and substance abuse.  We have just recently gone to sessions every other week, and I don't see that going down any time soon.

 

How often you need sessions is an individual thing to be determined by you and your therapist.  There is no one size fits all answer. 

[Astrid]

Hi, Rowan,

 

I, too, have paid out-of-pocket because my gender therapist no longer accepted Medicare (and I'm retired, so no longer have conventional private insurance). Rate: $110 per hour (both my spouse and I attend; rate is the same regardless).  Well worth it!

 

Best wishes,

 

Astrid

 

[Rowan.]

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. This was exactly the type of information I was looking for. Now, with my initial questions answered, I feel more comfortable taking the next step to call around to offices. I even read the sticky too 

Which will be very helpful.

 

I'm so happy to hear that my assumptions were way to high. If I can find a therapist with the right qualifications and the right rate, I may even be able to see them once every two weeks.

 

I'm not sure if I am eligible for OHP/Medicaid in Oregon, I should really look into it, maybe I'll call them later today.

 

Thanks again for helping boost my confidence <3

[AmberM]

Rowan

 

I would do a search for Transgender Clinics in Oregon and look for non-profit ones. You may be able to find a specialized clinic in your neck of the woods. I know here in Central Ohio for example has a specialty LGBTQ+ Clinic that has a sliding scale. In doing a quick search, a few came up out of Portland at least (you could even call them if that isn't close for you).

[Rowan.]

@QuestioningAmber Thank you so much for posting. I actually did call a clinic that I would feel comfortable going to and that does sliding scale before I originally posted here. Unfortunately, they did not offer counseling services, but they did provide me a list of therapists in the area and even took the time to send me a link to an NIH article concerning my ever so thinning hair.

 

On another note, I left voicemail with two different therapists that I can kinda afford and even had a job prospect appear out of the blue. All-in-all, i guess it's been a productive day.