this is me whining

[sqwrlydoom]

so when i went to the dmv to get my license about a month ago, i was informed that if i wanted to have a male gender marker on my license that i would have to find a psychologist and have them fill out the dl 329 gender change form. my mom said she knew a shrink lady from our church so i went to her and had her fill it out. but the dmv just sent

Comments

[trenchcoatedson]

A counselor generally has a Master's degree.

A psychologist has a PhD and went to grad school.

A psychiatrist went to med school.

- Spoken as a psychology major with a dad who is a Psych PhD. :)

[sqwrlydoom]

hmmm interesting. i don't see why they won't accept something from someone with a master's. i guess it has to be a phd or something? i don't know. i hate the dmv.

[trenchcoatedson]

As far as I know, those with PhDs are generally more accepted and their word taken more seriously, as they DID have more schooling and experience than a counselor/social worker/etc. I've seen plenty of both in a therapy type setting in my life and I can say there is definitely a difference between the two in terms of knowledge.

I also wouldn't be surprised if you also need a PhD licensed therapist to write the letter for hormones. They're just way more well equipped to handle and understand these types of issues than someone with a master's- which is why the DMV probably will only accept a form from a licensed psychologist.

[sqwrlydoom]

for the hormones letter i went and saw someone at the ywca in portland. i have no idea what degree they had. i saw her twice, once to determine i was sane enough to go on t and once to get the actual letter. i do not remember her name or have any contact info for her. i kind of have always avoided psychologists and counselors because talking to strangers about my problems kind of freaks me out. i feel like they are only listening because they get paid to (which i'm sure is a totally unfair assessment and i know they are good people, i just am weird like that).

[trenchcoatedson]

I'm surprised you got T so easily. Most cases I've read and the people I know had to/have to go to multiple therapy sessions before getting the letter to be prescribed hormones.

It's natural to be freaked out when talking to psychologists. I've always had problems with them, personally. And I've been seeing them since I was 12!

[sqwrlydoom]

yeah, portland's standards are maybe more lax than other places? i dunno.

[trenchcoatedson]

Do you have a regular doctor? Just go to your doctor and ask for a referral to a psychologist. If you don't have insurance the intake session can be quite expensive. Explain the situation to the psychologist. They MAY just go ahead and fill it out for you or they may want to see you for more sessions. Personally if it was me, I'd see another psychologist if they wanted to see me for a long time before filling out something like that. Just go back to your doctor and tell them that psychologist didn't work out and if they know any others. Or go on the internet and search for trans-friendly psychologists. They can be easy to find if you live near or in a populated area.

[sqwrlydoom]

i do not. i don't have health insurance or a job or any money. in portland i just went to the low income/homeless clinic downtown and saw whatever med student was there that day. i have yet to find anywhere down here to go (which is another problem because i am out of t and need to find someone to write me a new script). i hate feeling simultaneously helpless and too overwhelmed to figure out how to fix it.

[trenchcoatedson]

Do you have something like a human services type organization in your area? Here in the Southern part of the state (Arkansas) we have Delta Counseling and in the northern part we have Ozark Guidance. They generally see people who can't afford it and are stocked with psychiatrists, social workers, and even licensed psychologists. Even the one in my small town of 9,000 people has a psychologist on staff (although I can't see him because he's my father's friend, sucks to be me.) Can you go back to the low income clinic and ask if there's any services available like this?

[sqwrlydoom]

i just moved from oregon back to california so going back to the clinic is not an option. i have been having trouble establishing medical care down here. it doesn't help that i freak out about shit so easily.

[trenchcoatedson]

Where do you live in California? I wouldn't be surprised if they have a free clinic or low income type of clinic there. I'm sure there are options.

[sqwrlydoom]

i live in the bay area. i am pretty sure there is a low income clinic up in san francisco, but i live in san jose and don't really have the money for the train ride up there. i am trying to figure out how to get my ass up there. probably at some point i can get my mom to give me a ride, she is just so busy all the time and i don't feel comfortable asking my dad to do it as he is totally not okay with the whole gender change. i was hoping i would be able to find something down here in the south bay but there just doesn't seem to be anything. apparently everyone down here has health insurance and doesn't need things like low income clinics.

[trenchcoatedson]

I'm sure you'll get there. Just have some faith and be sure to calm down. Relax. It's going to be okay.

[sqwrlydoom]

thanks so much, man. i have a hard time remembering to just breathe sometimes.