Therapy/counselling

I think for me personally,going to therapy has been the best decision I've ever made. It took having an anxiety attack and being so scared that I was going die to make me realize that I needed help.

I did tell my counselor that I had just come out to my husband during our first session. She didn't even bat an eye. She made a little joke about me not doing anything by halves, which made me laugh and lighten the mood instantly. Which I was so grateful for.

Therapy has been really great for me, but I also know that for it to work I have to spend a lot of time working on the things (techniques, and exercises) I'm given during each session.

I was lucky to find a therapist that I really connected with right away. I think if you find the right one it is a very rewarding experience.

 

I had it when I was in primary school (Aspergers) and hated every second of it. Never wanna have to go back. Just my experiences though and I'm sure other people have had it much better.

 

I started counselling last year for social anxiety and depression. It really helped me, as I haven't had an anxiety attack since maybe May, and I only have temporary depression episodes now. I went to counselling for 10 weeks and then I was submitted to CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). I hated that, it was boring and we only talked about stuff I already knew about.

The only time anything LGBT+ related came up was during one of my CBT sessions when I mentioned I was going to Pride. My therapist asked why I was going but I didn't want to come out to her for some reason, so I just lied and said I was going in support of a close family friend. I kind of hesitated on my answer though, so I think she was suspicious of me.

 

If you can find the right therapist, it can be great. But until then, it can feel like a chore or very unsuccessful.

Therapy has been more of a time killer for me. Or something I need to go through to get what I want. But I'll admit, it has it's plus sides.

 

I don't ever think therapy is a bad idea.
Like others have said, finding the right counsellor for you can take time, but I think it's worth it once you do.

It takes effort, and it requires some time for the benefits to show.
Some people seem to think that you visit a therapist a few times and immediately start seeing results, when in reality, it might take half a year for results to become noticeable.
So... Effort and patience. If one is willing of those two things, as well as to be truthful to the therapist (so they can help one in the best possible way), one will/might see positive changes.

 

It works for some people, but for others, not so much. My list of therapists sounds like some people's list of ex-boyfriends. The first one died a week after my first visit, another one repeated everything I said back to me, another one was just plain intimidated by me, another was incredibly judgmental, another simply didn't know how to help me, and another was just an idiot.

 

I went to a psychologist for a few months two years ago and, while slightly helpful, the psychologist wasn't the right person for me. I haven't been back, though, and I'm not sure if I will. I don't really want to have my parents pay money again for me to talk to someone. The experience was ok, but this was before I came out to myself and before I knew I actually wasn't straight and cis. I think it really depends on the therapist. Some therapists are amazing, while others suck. It varies.

 

I've never been to therapy but I know some people that went for some time and it certainly has had a positive impact on their lives. However, I also know some people that have been going for years and it hasn't brought any significant change. I guess it all depends on the professional, but also on the person's willingness to face their own problems and works towards changing their lives. So the pacient also has to be proactive and trust their therapist, which I think is the hardest part on all this.

 

Mixed experiences. One of the best counselors I've ever had was a guidance counselor at my college. I was having a difficult time with family and coming out. She helped me figure out how to come out on campus and was a huge help when it came to me figuring out where to go and what I should do with my life.

One of the worst was a licensed trans-specific therapist. I'd already been out of the closet for a year at that point. He would deliberately draw out his therapy plans so I would have had to wait months for hormones. One session, he babbled on about exercise programs. And this was literally a week after I'd had my life turned upside down by a rapist. He didn't even let me talk about what happened because he "wasn't a trauma therapist". Couldn't even bring it up... So I dumped him.

 

I've had good experiences for the most part, although it takes a long time to find the right person.

Mine aren't LGBT+ specialists, but most of them have been helpful.

My most recent, the one I've been seeing for about two years now, has been helpful. We don't talk about sexuality much, as it isn't something bothering me anymore (It used to, and I wish I talked with someone with experience with it back then...), but I go weekly, and everything works out.

 

I really, really hate therapy when it's involuntary. I've had five therapists since November 2011 - I hated them all. (Not the therapists, but the process of therapy). I've seen them all for my generalized anxiety disorder, nothing to do with gender. I do want to see a gender therapist, but just not yet, since I'm closeted to most people and I'm not ready to come out to immediate/extended family. That will probably have to wait eight or so months.

 

I have been suggested to take counselling because if my anxiety issues but I no longer think I need them because I learned how to control it on my own.But I know they are always there for when I need them.

 

I've been to several different therapists and I think I can finally say I've found the right one. She's been helping me with my transition along with helping me with my depression/anxiety problems. I like the way she talks and it's nice to finally talk to somebody about which dr I want to go to for Hormones and talk about having to wait for surgery and all that. I really feel like things are beginning to come together finally.:eusa_danc

 

Therapy can be very helpful-even if just for having an impartial sounding board for feelings. A lot of times, your friends and family may want to help but they're also very emotionally invested in you and your situation in the way that a counselor isn't. You can express feelings with a counselor without the repercussions that they might have with people in your life. So that's good. But counselors can only do so much, all of the real work is done by you. My experience with counseling has been generally positive, even though my counselor does not specialize in LGBT issues, I've found talking to her about my issues surrounding coming out helpful as well.

 

I have gone to the counseling and therapy sessions offered by my college twice recently, both of which were for two Unrelated issues. In the second half of each of those
sessions I came out as bi and we talked about how keeping that from my parents was a significant and frequent stressor. It felt really good getting that off my chest

 

I think therapy/counseling with a good clinician (counselor or psychologist) is a good idea. In fact, it's my understanding that most counselors-in-training are required to go to counseling themselves in the process of becoming a counselor, even if they probably don't have a mental disorder.

The first time I mentioned anything related to LGBT issues with a counselor was when I went to one of the most conservative colleges in America (Franciscan University of Steubenville). The university therapist I saw was a priest who happened to also be a licensed counselor. I put down "Same-sex attractions" on the intake form as one of the reasons for counseling. I ended up discussing LGBT issues very little in therapy, with most of the therapy being about issues not directly related to me being gay. However, in the very little bit it was brought up early when seeing him, he let me know that emerging research showed that sexual orientation was determined very early, mostly in utero. I think he told me that so that I would be aware of the fact that me being gay is not something that's changeable. I think that that went as well as it could on LGBT issues given my state of mind (very conservative, anti-gay) at that time.

A few years later I saw a university psychologist at my new college. Discussing LGBT related issues with her went well. It was during the time period in which I was seeing her that I came out to my parents.