How to Find Trans-Affirming Mental Health Care

If you are transgender or gender nonconforming, it is important to find healthcare providers who understand your needs, including your mental health needs. The better a practitioner understands the challenges people face, the more comfortable people feel.

While some therapists are highly qualified to help patients through any issues they might experience, you'll likely want a practitioner with whom you don't have to explain basic facets of your identity when you are moving through major life changes or issues.

Why Gender Affirming Mental Health Care Matters

Why is it important that a transgender or gender nonconforming person has access to trans-affirming mental health care? Trans people face a plethora of hardships and disadvantages that cisgender people do not: they are more likely to become unhoused, to be bullied, to be sexually assaulted, and to be discriminated against in health care.

Therapy is an intimate and vulnerable experience in which patients divulge their innermost thoughts, feelings, fears, and worries. It needs to be a space in which a person feels safe. The more affirmed and safe a person feels in this position, the more easily they can share personal information.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, trans- and gender-affirming care helps create a safe space for processing and understanding. Such care also helps people connect with social support, health care providers, and legal services. It offers a safe space that embraces diversity, reflection, and empathy.

Research has found that dealing with a therapist who does not understand a person's gender identity can be a barrier to therapeutic satisfaction. Such understanding fosters a closer therapeutic alliance. Evidence suggests that this therapeutic relationship is vital to treatment success.

How to Find Trans-Affirming Mental Health Care

Knowing that trans people face additional challenges in life that cis people do not and can benefit long-term from affirming care, it only makes sense that trans-affirming mental health care would be an aligned need. Whether the practitioner is a cis person specializing in helping trans people, or is a trans person themselves, the in-depth knowledge of gender-related issues will create a safer experience for a trans patient.

Step 1: Know Your Rights

When looking for trans-affirming mental health care, your first step is to know your rights. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund has a guidebook that details the rights of trans people to health care, specifically in relation to COVID-19. Some rights for medical care, whether mental health or physical health, that a trans patient and their loved ones should be aware of include the following:

• You have the right to be referred to by your correct pronouns.
• You have the right to use the bathroom that aligns with your gender.
• You can't rightfully be refused treatment because you're trans.
• You have the right to report discrimination if you experience it.
  

Trans-affirming and gender-affirming health care is regularly under attack by conservative states and areas of the country. This is particularly true of affirming care for children and adolescents.

If you live in a location where trans-affirming health care is under attack, it may be challenging to find the proper care. Know that advocacy organizations stop most discriminatory laws before they can take effect and that your rights exist on a broader scale regardless. However, this may not make it easier for you to find care in the short term.

Step 2: Know What to Search For

Now that you know you have the right to trans-affirming mental health care, you might be wondering how exactly to go about finding it. There are several ways.

Check With Your Insurance Provider

Search tools on your insurance provider's website will usually have an option of LGBTQ+-proficient providers. In some cases, a provider may also state whether they are an LGBTQ+ therapist on their website or directory profile.

The therapists might not exclusively state that they work with trans people, but knowing they are at least knowledgeable about trans people should offer more comfort in reaching out to them. You can also begin by simply calling your insurance provider and asking them to search for you.

Do Some Research Online

You can also use search engines outside your insurance website, whether or not you have insurance. For example, Advekit aims to pair trans patients with appropriate providers.

Melissa Mondesir, PR and marketing manager of Advekit, tells Verywell Mind that "when someone takes our detailed quiz on the site, one of the preferences taken into account is gender identity. They can choose if they would like a therapist that is either male, female, or non-binary, and they will only be matched with their preference."

If that process isn't successful for you or you aren't happy with your results, Mondesir says, "if they can't find exactly what they are looking for once their three matches are given, Advekit support will have someone help find a match right for them." This is a reassuring process that can make it feel success-oriented.

Seek a Local LGBTQ Center

Another valuable place to find trans-affirming mental health care is through your local LGBTQ center. Commonly, larger cities have more resources than smaller towns, but you might be surprised at what yours offers. If they don't practice pairing patients with therapists or have mental health workers on staff, they still might conduct support groups, such as one for trans people, that meet regularly.

Look Into Transgender-Specific Therapy Services

Lastly, there are progressively more therapists who specialize in trans health issues and trans-affirming mental health care. Some, such as Transgender Affirming Therapy, serve only trans patients.

Other resources to help you find trans-affirming therapy include the National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) and Therapy for Queer People of Color (QPOC).

Health Insurance Considerations

Outside of the basic rights for health care mentioned above, you have additional rights in relation to health insurance. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, these are some important ones:

• Trans-related health care cannot be excluded from your insurance plan.
• You cannot be charged higher premiums or refused enrollment due to being trans.
• Insurance companies can't place discriminatory limits on health care.
• You can't be denied coverage because an insurance company thinks a treatment isn't associated with your gender.

To learn more about what your specific insurance plan covers, including Medicare, you can review the NCTE Health Guide Guide for Transgender People.

Cost and Payment Issues

The amount you have to pay for mental health care is dependent on your insurance plan if you have one. If you don't, you still should be able to find care that serves you. Some websites offer discounted therapy sessions, such as open path psychotherapy collective, which charges $30-60 per session.

They have search specialties of both transgender and nonbinary specialists and therapists who work with gender exploration, meaning you don't have to scroll through anyone who isn't a potential fit.

Keep in Mind

All people have the right to a health care experience that is free of discrimination, and that moves them forward on their mental wellness journey. Trans people, like all others, can benefit greatly from therapists who know how to work with them and the issues they face.

Now that you know your rights, and you have some resources to start, you can be on your way to finding the right therapist for you.