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• Carol Steele (UK Forum Mod)

  

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  October 28, 2011 7:01:40 PM BST

  Following on from my request for people's experiences with GI Units, another useful survey which might be helpful to people would be of counsellors who have experience of transgenderism.
  
  So, if you have any experience of counselling from somebody in the UK, please let us know of your experiences and who you went to.  Did they help you with whatever problem you discussed with them - for instance, coming out, counselling with your partner, helping you to understand your feelings about yourself.  Let us know the name of any counsellors you have seen and your location so that other people seeking help in this way have an idea of who to see and (possibly) who to avoid.

• Deleted Member

  
   

  January 2, 2012 10:41:52 AM GMT

  Hi Carol, my experience with a counsellor trained in gender issues
  1, Waited months to see the person
  2, Good start, we got on well
  3, 6 months of running in circles as this person had there own thoughts and tried to imprint them on me, not a good idea!
  4, I left counselling as i found it was not for me, for others it may help and there are good and bad counsellors out there.
  5, I am from Gloucester and if your poor your only choice is to ask your GP for local free counsellors in the area and they are rare to find.
• Faye Mack

  

  • 60 posts
   

  January 2, 2012 1:08:02 PM GMT

  Hi Carol,
  
  when finances permit i see a wonderful councellor called Suzi Poole who is based in Shalford, in Guildford. Ihave seen her for 2 months and not once has she forced any of her own thoughts or ideas onto me. after my second session i went to see her as Faye and from there i felt, finally, as thoough everything clicked into place. we talked about my past, my family, my trans life and she is someone who listens and allows me to express my internal thoughts without judgement or predjudice. the sessions helped me put my life into order and when finances permit i will see her again. She, as well as my friends on here, helped me to come out and allow me to live my life, as i had always wanted to. her advice and observations helped me in a way i never thought possible.
  anyway those are my thoughts. i hope they help.
• Chrissy Rowe

  

  • 41 posts
   

  February 5, 2012 3:06:47 PM GMT

  I found my counsellor on the Pink Therapy pages based on location and experience. So far she has been brilliant but as I have only had a couple of sessions it has mostly been me unburdening myself. I am impressed that she asks good questions to guide the conversation but doesn't have anyway a judgemental view or direction of travel. I have always been to the sessions as the real me (Chrissy) and she was brilliant even though I was super nervous.

   

  I have found comparative comments the most useful as I don't know or understand how my experience compares to that of others. It has been incredibly illuminating and has made me appreciate my long suffering partner more.

   

  I find it so much better than trying to talk things through with friends as she has real experience in the area. It showed from the start as she addressed many of the issues that I am struggling with in her intro email before we had really spoken. I will see how we go before I make any recommendations but for me it is the best thing that I have done since I started to talking to people on this website and began to realise that I'm transgender not transvestite and that takes me down a different path.

   

  The other thing I have noticed is that having an outlet for these conversations has transformed the way I interact with my friends as I no longer need to talk about the gender stuff as much unless they ask (which they do) but I can be more normal in that regard. I know that not everyone can afford it but if you can its worth it.

  
  This post was edited by Chrissy Rowe at February 5, 2012 3:08:33 PM GMT"
• Carol Steele (UK Forum Mod)

  

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  • 288 posts
   

  February 5, 2012 3:24:35 PM GMT

  Hi Chrissy,
  
  Thanks for your input, very useful to hear such a positive experience.
  
  Would you mind sharing your connsellor's name and any contact details so that anybody else from your area who is seeking an understanding and non-judgemental counsellor can contact her.
  
  Thank you
  
  Carol xxx

  
  This post was edited by Carol Steele (UK Forum Mod) at February 5, 2012 3:25:32 PM GMT"
• Chrissy Rowe

  

  • 41 posts
   

  February 7, 2012 10:27:16 PM GMT

  I found my counsellor here: http://www.pinktherapy.com/
  
  It has a good search function too.