Coming Out to Therapist?

It always better if you are open and honest with your therapist. If you keep things from them and only give them half the picture, it reduces the chance of getting anything out of the process; and the fact that you are trans is actually quite a significant detail to omit. It's rather like giving them a jigsaw after you've removed a number of pieces.

Remember, a good therapist is there to help and support you, without judgement - our gender identity or sexuality should not bother them at all. You stand more of a chance of being referred for specialist help if you talk to your therapist.

 

It would seem to me that coming out to your therapist is probably a good idea. It's their job to get to know you so that they can help you, and the more complete picture you can give them, the better they can do their job.

 

Therapists aren't supposed to judge their clients so coming out to a therapist is probably one of the safer people to come out to. I've come out to over half a dozen mental health professionals and it was fine except for one that had a little problem because that therapist was technically giving me Christian counseling and I guess she wasn't pro-gay for religious reasons (not that that's any excuse).

 

Just realize that not all therapists know much about trans issues. I once told my therapist my son was transgender and she said "I don't know what that means," and when I explained she said "Can you do that?" This was a few years ago and there is more knowledge out there now but at the time I was... unimpressed. But you'll probably have better results with your therapist. I definitely would say coming out to her is a good idea.

 

I did refrain from coming out to a therapist and I think it kept me from getting help in an area I needed, so definitely come out so you can talk about it or get referred!

 

I came out to my therapists (I have 2 of them, one of whom is gay), and they both took it really well. Therapists are required to keep that kind of stuff confidential so you don’t have to worry about them leaking your secret.

 

I'm glad your mom is accepting of it

As others have said, coming out to your therapist will help them help you. If you think about it, its silly to spend hours of your time (and somebody is paying for it) just to hide stuff from them!

I was scared to tell my therapist. But afterwards, he told me suggestions that he had told other people....meaning that I was far from the first person to come out to him. Coming out to him helped get my comfort level up in terms of gay things, come out to other people, and help him understand more about me so he could help me better. I don't think I could have come out as much as I have now if it wasn't for him.

 

Yes, tell your therapist. Worst thing that could happen is it doesn't go well -- which will mean that it's time to find a new therapist!

 

I've been seeing the same therapist on and off for years, but only came out to them at the start of January. I don't regret doing it at all. Just having someone neutral to talk to made it feel like a weight had been lifted off me. It helped her to understand a lot of the problems in my life and therefore she was able to give me better advice when it came to many of my anxiety issues. My outlook on life is so much more positive. Sure, I still have tough days, but with the skills and advice I can get over them faster and better.

I was so scared it would go badly, that they would judge me, but in the end I realised that if they did it was because they were bad at their job. That the problem would be with them, and not with me, and that there are other therapists out there that are good at their jobs. Don't let that fear put you off for as long as it put me off.