I am thinking about seeing a gender clinic as I am starting to feel I am trans FTM.. How do I see one & what would we talk about?. I am seeing a normal therapist about other stuff on the 16th but should I talk to them about it too?. :help:
As the NHS is free, its probably the best path to take, even if it can take a long time. Go see your GP and then you should be sent on adventure of referrals and blood tests for a while, before getting referred to the gender clinics. I believe there are only two on the NHS in the UK. One in Manchester and one in London. Be prepared for a wait though. It sucks, but its unfortunately the result of a clogged NHS with not enough funding. To keep things simple, just see your GP and you should be taken through the process without too much fuss, just time. : )
I talked about it with my regular therapist because the GP I went to didn't believe me. My therapist wrote a letter to the CMHT, who then assessed me and agreed I was transgender and wrote another letter to give to my new GP. Then the GP filled in the referral form to send to the gender clinic and put me on the waiting list. All together it took a few months. Most people talk to their GPs first and they tend to do exactly what the therapist did for the CMHT, but I've heard once or twice that you don't need to be assessed anymore, so find that out when you speak to your GP (you have to go to your GP if you want to see an NHS gender clinic, you have to be referred). The assessment - if you have to go to one - is basically questions about your life - how you knew you were trans, when you knew, if you dressed in clothes typical for men/women, etc. The referral with the GP was just filling in the information on the form and included a blood test to check your hormone levels. I hope this helps. P.S. There are about seven NHS gender clinics.
Google Gender Identity Clinic and there's a lot of info on their site. GP should refer you with no push back, your request is enough. First assessment wait times for the London GIC are one year...
The person who said there are only two is incorrect, there are around 5/6, one actually I'm Nottingham luckily for you. Each one has waiting times which vary. I think notts has a shorter waiting list than London Charing cross, about 8 months for initial appointment when I last checked. From first appointment it tends to be about a year before hormones are considered and given.
Not sure, their site says around 12 months for the first appointment. I'd imagine a handful of months maybe, after that? The GP does the distributing of T based on the recommendation from the GIC. I got referred this month, so I'm waiting now. Haven't even told my family yet. My depression is pretty extreme at the moment so I'm needing something to change to help pull me out of it. A holding letter would suffice!