So for a long time I've wanted to meet with a gender Identity counselor and I finally get to TOMORROW, so to prepare I was looking up videos on YouTube trans people had made regarding their experiences at their first appointments. One thing consistent across all of the videos was that the counselor asks how that know they're trans. I was thinking about how I would answer that question ahead of time so I can go in at least somewhat prepared, and that's when the crisis started. You see, the more I thought about it, the more I thought my reasoning for my feelings of being trans are just such bullcrap. Like, I've only considered myself to be anything other than cis for a bit over a year, and fully trans for like six months, so I'm afraid that the counselor will invalidate me since its only been a really short time. And as for WHY I'm trans, I don't feel dysphoria because of my body, but because of how people perceive me as a result of it. It seems stupid for someone to seek physical transition if they aren't actually uncomfortable with their body, and I'm really nervous about explaining that to them. Has anybody been through anything similar? And is there any advice you can give going into my appointment tomorrow? ---------- Post added 31st Mar 2015 at 08:22 AM ---------- Also, for people who have had appointments already, am I allowed to have my parents not be in the room during the appointment?
Dunno if you'll get the chance to read this on time, but here's a little bit of advice: There is no one right way to be transgender. Not everybody experiences dysphoria the same way. Ultimately you are the best one to judge the validity of your feelings.. When you speak to your counsellor you should tell them in what ways you feel you are male rather than whatever you were assigned at birth. You will always have more success if you can talk about specific moments in your life, or specific thoughts you had at certain times, that played into you discovering your transgender identity. Don't psych yourself out—the best thing you can do for your counsellor is be honest, first and foremost. And your issues are not "bullshit," you are bringing yourself to a counsellor for crying out loud. Clearly you have something personally important to discuss with them. Gender identity counsellors (good ones anyway) are not out to get you or shoot you down; they want to help you, and the only way they can help you is if you speak your mind, doing it at your own pace. I found my counsellor to be a great conversation partner, and I was able to talk about the way I saw myself as female which was specific to me. I don't experience much dysphoria, and I am mostly bothered by the way people refer to me as male. I like it when people refer to me as female. It feels like they're "getting it right," and I don't feel so disjointed from myself. I only came to terms with my own gender issues hardly five months ago ... so don't feel like you need some kind of impressive track record. Your feelings now are valid. Don't make up some sort of lie. Just speak the truth by talking about your feelings. Do that and you may find this to be a really refreshing experience. It was for me. I love going to therapy.
