therapy?

Starting into therapy can be a pretty daunting experience, but can have immeasurable long-term benefit.

Talk therapy will nearly always be best with a clinical social worker or psychologist; there are some psychiatrists who do therapy, but psychiatrists are medical doctors and do not receive anywhere near the training or supervised practice in therapy that psychologists or MSWs have. Additionally, some doctoral-level psychologists have training that is more research and theoretically-based; psychologists with a Psy.D. will almost always have more training in therapeutic approaches than a Ph.D. graduate from a program that is research based, so it always pays to ask your prospective therapist about his or her training.

My personal experience is that the MSWs I've worked with seem to have a better grasp on the entirety of the family dynamics and the individual's interaction with them, which is particularly valuable to LGBT people, so my first choice would probably be for an MSW therapist. But the degree is less important than the particular individual practitioner, and they range from truly amazing to unbelieveably terrible, with most somewhere in between... so finding the right one is really crucial.

Additionally, the theoretical orientation of the therapist can be important. The best therapists are eclectic in their practice, incorporating elements of several of the major frameworks of psychology, such as humanistic, psychodynamic, existential, cognitive-behavioral (CBT), gestalt, and Jungian. Sadly, many therapist now focus on positive psychology or CBT, because these are "quick fix" approaches that insurance companies prefer; the problem is, while they can be effective for short-term depression or mild anxiety, they suck in effectively dealing with the deeper issues that the majority of LGBT people have.

As for the therapist's background/experience, it does make sense to find a therapist that has experience in the specific issues you're addressing; for example, a therapist who has not had many LGBT clients will in most cases not be adequately prepared to be as helpful with those issues as one who has dealt with it. And if you have any issues such as rape, sexual assault, or childhood sexual abuse, it is really important to have a therapist with specialty in these areas, because the issues and complications that come with them require a lot of background and specialty experience that the majority of therapists don't have.

And... the therapy room isn't always a loving and happy environment; a good therapist will help you explore unpleasant feelings and vent things that you may have been holding inside. That can be tough, painful, and difficult to go through, and there's a reason that every therapy office has multiple boxes of Kleenex. But what happens in the session is always in your control, and done correctly, therapy will have a major, life-changing effect on how you live your life.

As for the frequency of therapy, there is a huge difference between going weekly and going every other week, and there's a reason that weekly is the default. Seeing a therapist weekly will help you to stay focused on the change, and you'll find a much stronger cumulative effect from regular, weekly visits that you won't see if you go biweekly or even less often. If you are having extremely intense stuff going on, twice-a-week sessions can be helpful, but that's rarely necessary outside of acute situations.

I would never choose a therapist based on their physical location, any more than I'd choose a heart surgeon based on his living close to me. Instead, I would suggest calling a bunch of therapists and talking to them. Most will be happy to spend a few minutes talking to you on the phone, some may offer a free "get to know you" session. Ask about their approach, their theoretical orientation, how many LGBT clients they see. Don't go to the first one you talk to; make a commitment to talk with at least two or three, and then see who you like.

Also, don't expect miracles in the first session; it usually takes at least 2 or 3 sessions to connect with the therapist, so if you just go to one and give up because you didn't feel amazing afterwards, you may simply have not connected with that therapist; the "Just try one session" advice can be really dangerous, because it can easily turn people away from therapy forever if they have one bad experience.

Finally, you shouldn't feel at all bad about trying different therapists for a handful of sessions before deciding which one works for you. A good therapist knows that s/he won't be the right person for everyone, so they won't have hurt feelings if you decide to try someone else. And in this economy, nearly every therapist understands and is flexible about the cost of sessions, and if you look, you can likely find one who can work with you on a weekly basis at a price you can afford.