Therapists vs Gender Specialists
Introduction to Mental Health
Mental health issues can happen whether you’re trans or not, but can also be made worse by how others react to you being trans.
This can include social anxiety being made worse because you don’t want to get misgendered, for example. Or through things like bullying or mistreatment from peers at school, college, university, or in the workplace.
Any mental health issues that you might have should be dealt with professionally where possible, but I know that it can be difficult to access mental health services as a trans person.
Especially if specialists don’t understand how to properly help or treat trans patients, or don’t understand that mental health issues don’t have to be related to being trans, nor do they have to be caused by being trans.
Being trans itself is not a mental illness, which I wish would go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how cruel some people can be with all the things they come up with about how or why we exist.
Or not, if you’ve already experienced it yourself, unfortunately.
Therapists vs Gender Specialists
Therapists and gender specialists have different roles in trans health care. You’ll see why I’m bringing up gender specialists in a mental health post in a second.
Therapists:
Are trained in the field of mental health.
Will offer long-term or short-term care depending on the individual.
Are available both privately and on the NHS.
Focus on many issues at once, as well as you as an individual and why you do the things you do.
When wanting to start medical treatment for being trans, some people get confused about the role of gender specialists that they’ll inevitably meet if they decide to get referred to a GIC.
Gender specialists aren’t like therapists, they’re there specifically to offer you medical treatment for being trans, such as hormones or surgery. When you’re having assessments with them, they’re likely to only focus on gender as that’s what they’re trained to do.
They might ask some questions outside of gender to get a better background on you as a person, like a therapist would do in an initial appointment to gather more info outside of the reason you’re seeing them.
I bring gender specialists up here because seeing them can help your mental health issues, if they revolve around dysphoria/being trans.
Medical treatment is tied to mental health in a few aspects. Any pre-existing mental health conditions need to be ‘well controlled’ for you to be allowed surgery, for example. Ironically, surgery is often something that would help make any mental health issues better by reducing overall dysphoria, but I digress.
But medical treatments, of course, aren’t a cure-all, and won’t fix every issue you’ve ever had, they’ll just make life more bearable and a bit easier as a trans person, if your dysphoria is strongly tied to your body.
You access gender specialists through your GP by asking them to refer you to a GIC, which has a lengthy waiting list before you get to your first appointment.
One of the few good things about that is that it gives you time to work on your mental health, which I know is made better by transitioning in the first place, but your mental health is important to deal with anyway.
Therapy isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you need an impartial party to talk to about what you’re thinking and feeling.
There are several ways you can get help in the UK if you’re having mental health issues of any kind:
GP referral to a mental health team on the NHS – It might be difficult or anxiety-inducing, but you can make an appointment with your GP if you’re struggling with any mental issues and feel like you need to see a specialist about it. Your GP will likely ask you to explain your issues in a bit more depth before referring you, but then you’ll be sent to the nearest mental health team in your area.
Pink Therapy – Specifically for LGBT+ people in the UK, Pink Therapy recognizes that mental health issues don’t have to be related to your identity, but also that they sometimes can be. They’re a private service that you have to pay for, where you can search for different therapists by identity or specialism. They have the option of being online for certain therapists, who take appointments by phone calls or video, and also offer discounts for people on benefits.
Online – Places like BetterHelp, OnlineTherapy, feelya, and talkspace have online options, or are online-only, as well as offering text services for people who are especially anxious.
If you want to go somewhere specifically LGBT-friendly: (From the NHS website)
Gendered Intelligence - GI runs youth groups in London, Leeds and Bristol for trans, non-binary and questioning young people, as well as running a peer-led support group in London for people aged 18 to 30.
Imaan - Imaan is a charity that supports LGBT (or questioning) Muslims, providing an online forum where people can share experiences and ask for help.
Consortium - They work to support LGBT+ organisations and projects around the country. You can use their Member's Directory to find local mental health services.
LGBT Foundation – They offer information, advice, and support services to LGBT people, including a Talking Therapies Programme.
London Friend - London Friend offers support groups as well as various services, including counselling and drug and alcohol support, to LGBT people in or around London.
Mind LGBTQ – They provide information about mental health support for people who are LGBT+.
Stonewall - Stonewall's "What's in my area?" search box can help you find LGBT mental health services near you.
Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline - Switchboard provides a listening service for LGBT+ people over the phone, via email and online chat. It can provide you with contact details of an LGBT-friendly therapist.
The organizations listed above are, like I said, LGBT-friendly, because it’s hard enough trying to talk about your mental health issues, let alone having to think about if the person you’re talking to actually approves of your existence.
The UK is kind of scary like that.
But hopefully the suggestions in this post can make things feel a little bit less scary. As well as places like r/ftm or r/transgenderUK on Reddit, if you want to talk to other trans people directly.
