How to find a good therapist? Does anyone know of a good therapist in the WV-VA-MD-PA quad state region? Or how to go about finding one? I've given it a couple shots so...
SilverlightPony replied:
I can't speak to the quality of any you'll find here, but one place to look is [Psychology Today's therapist finder](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/transgender/). This link already has the "transgender" filter applied.
Noli420 replied:
A good way to weed out therapists when I got a list of covered people from my insurance person: Leave a message using your preferred name. When they call back and voice does not match expected gender, check their reaction. If they argue with you, definitely not the one to see! (I wish this wasn’t based off a true story)
CausticOptimism replied:
Started looking specifically for gender therapists in my area through Google and psychology today but none of the ones around here we're taking patients. So I expanded my search to therapists who listed themselves as dealing with LGBT issues. Then I scoured for any information I could find about them online (reviews, practice website, resume, etc.).
I tried to then just use my intuition against all the information I found. I really only feel comfortable talking to women about my feelings so half of my list was discounted. All other things being equal I gave bonus points to therapists were nurse practitioners since they can prescribe medications as needed (was depressed) and I appreciate their training is rooted in science. What you are looking for may vary but that's how I went about it.
I ended up finding a therapist who didn't really have any experience with transgender people but really worked well for me because she listens and is supportive. She just let's me talk most if the time which gets me a long ways to figuring myself out.
In any case I have had less useful therapists too. If you're not clicking after a couple of sessions I would move on.
Bmore110 replied:
Hi ! I agree with SilverLightPony that Psychology Today can be a great tool. Here are a few recommendations for trans affirming therapists in the Baltimore area: Tavi Hawn at Hawn Therapy and Consulting: [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/tavi-hawn-towson-md/71424](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/tavi-hawn-towson-md/71424)Either Noelle Benach or Brittany Spencer at Space Between Counseling Services in the Mt. Washington neighborhood. Here is a link to their website: [https://www.spacebetweencounselingservices.com](https://www.spacebetweencounselingservices.com/)