If you are not sure if your assigned gender matches how you truly feel, you can reach out to a gender-affirming therapist. These types of therapists can answer your questions and help you on your road to discovering your gender identity.
In this guide, we’ve reviewed five of the best transgender therapy services, to help you find the right counseling for your specific needs.
Want to skip right to the suggestions for transgender therapy services? Here are our 5 recommended therapy solutions:
- BetterHelp
- Find-a-therapist.com
- Calmerry
- TalkSpace
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Transgender therapy services
Finding transgender-friendly therapy is not always easy. It is a known problem that there are not enough counselors that can help with these gender identity questions, and finding a good therapist for transgender is even more difficult if you don’t live in a major city.
The following counseling platforms can help you to connect with a nearby or online LGBTQ+-affirming therapist, who can help you work through your issues.
| Provider | Good For | Location | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterHelp | Quick match with the right therapist four you | Online therapy | $65 to $90 per week (billed every 4 weeks) |
| Find-a-therapist.com | Finding and contacting the right therapist for you | Online and in-person therapy | Varies depending on the counselor fee |
| Calmerry | Depression therapy, online grief counseling, anxiety therapy, therapy for OCD, self-esteem therapy, LGBT-friendly therapy | Online therapy | $49.50 to $73.75 per week (billed monthly) |
| TalkSpace | Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, LGBTQIA+ therapy | Online therapy | Varies according to insurance coverage or self-pay options |
| World Professional Association for Transgender Health | Supporting research, education, and care for transgender health | Online and in-person therapy | Varies depending on the counselor fee |
1. BetterHelp
Explore emotional well-being with BetterHelp – your partner in affordable online therapy. With 30,000+ licensed therapists and plans starting from only $65 per week, BetterHelp makes self-care accessible to all. Complete the questionnaire to match with the right therapist.
- Good for: Quick match with the right therapist four you.
- Location: Online therapy.
- Pricing: $65 to $90 per week (billed every 4 weeks).
- Features: iOS and Android app available, message your therapist anytime, live sessions are scheduled weekly and done via live chat, phone, or video call.
BetterHelp is one of the largest and most popular online therapy services. You can choose if you want to be matched with a therapist who specializes in LGBTQ+ topics, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender issues, queer issues, and more.
Read our BetterHelp review here.
2. Find-a-therapist.com
- Good for: Finding and contacting the right therapist for you.
- Location: Online and in-person therapy.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the counselor fee.
- Features: Filter your search, find accessible and effective online and in-person therapy, find guides on different types of therapy.
Find-a-therapist.com allows you to discover the ideal therapist. By utilizing filters and reviewing profiles, you can find licensed therapists like Annel Gomez, or Jeffrey Gianelli who have experience in serving members of the LGBTQ+ community. Using this website, you can contact therapists directly.
3. Calmerry
Embark on a journey of mental wellness with Calmerry. With diverse subscription options, starting at just $50, Calmerry makes prioritizing your mental health simple and accessible. You can message your therapist any day or schedule a live therapy session from the comfort of your home from any device.
- Good for: Depression therapy, online grief counseling, anxiety therapy, therapy for OCD, self-esteem therapy, LGBT-friendly therapy.
- Location: Online therapy.
- Pricing: $49.50 to $73.75 per week (billed monthly).
- Features: Message to your counselor anytime, text therapy and video therapy according to the plan you choose, free counselor switching.
Calmerry employs only certified professionals specializing in different areas of mental health, including issues specific to the LGBTQIA community. Once you’ve visited their website, you will be able to choose LGBTQIA counseling. If you’re not satisfied with your therapist, you can always request another one.
Read our comparison between Calmerry and BetterHelp here.
4. TalkSpace
Tailored to individuals, couples, teens, and offering psychiatry services, Talkspace plans kick off at a wallet-friendly $69 per week. What’s more, many health insurances also cover their services, enhancing accessibility and affordability. Complete a questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you.
- Good for: Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, LGBTQIA+ therapy.
- Location: Online therapy.
- Pricing: Varies according to insurance coverage or self-pay options.
- Features: Accepts insurance, pick your therapist from a list of recommendations, live video sessions and unlimited messaging with your therapist, medication management.
TalkSpace is an online platform that connects you with an LGTBQIA+-friendly therapist in their network according to your needs and preferences. You can message your therapist 24/7 and if you don’t feel comfortable with your therapist you can switch anytime.
Read our TalkSpace review here.
5. World Professional Association for Transgender Health
- Good for: Supporting research, education, and care for transgender health.
- Location: Online and in-person therapy.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the counselor fee.
- Features: Online directory, find the exact right provider for your specific needs, get in touch with the psychotherapist yourself.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is an organization that provides a list of psychotherapists specialized in working with transsexual and gender-nonconforming people. Their providers are not only gender therapists. You can find doctors, speech therapists, and surgeons on this website as well.
What does a transgender-friendly therapist do?
A therapist competent in transgender issues usually helps a person deal with being gender-nonconforming, or not feeling comfortable with their natal sex.
These types of counselors are not only focused on the transition towards your true gender identity. They can also help you in how to manage some of the following issues you may be facing, such as:
- Social stigma
- Discrimination
- Prejudice
- Physical violence or abuse
- Loneliness
Therapists Specializing in LGBTQ+ Issues
What is the difference between transgender-friendly and regular therapists?
A gender therapist works mostly in an affirmative way with transgender clients or gender-nonconforming people, such as those who identify with a third gender, or as nonbinary.
You can explore your gender identity and expression with a therapist competent in transgender issues. However, many clients also go to counseling for their depression, anxiety, or body image problems.
Technically, you could do this with any therapist as well, as long as they are able to provide validating and affirming support without any prejudices against trans people.
In reality however, gender-nonconforming people often report regular mental health care to be less than helpful. Some therapists still support gender conversion therapy, which is where people try to force you to identify with your natal sex. This is shown to be harmful to your health, and is also highly unethical.
Further, people report that traditional mental health professionals sometimes lack training on transgender issues. This also seems to be a big problem for medical professionals.
Another issue when using a regular therapist instead of a gender therapist is that they might focus too much on LGBTQ or gender issues, or even portray your gender identity as a problem. Some also feel that regular therapists seem to label their gender identity as repressed homosexuality.
Essentially, there are very good reasons to choose a trans-knowledgeable counselor over a regular therapist, if you can find a good one you can reach out to.
Can a regular therapist diagnose gender dysphoria?
If your counselor is licensed in your state by its professional counseling board, they should be able to diagnose your gender dysphoria.
The diagnosis will be based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This manual, provided by the American Psychiatric Association, defines that you need to feel distressed for more than 6 months in multiple areas in your day-to-day life in order to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Your social, work and mental functioning should also be negatively impacted in a significant way.
Is therapy required as a transgender person?
Therapy is not required for all transgender people. However, if you do feel anxiety as a result of being transgender, or are unsure how to proceed through the transition process, therapy could be helpful.
If you want to access certain surgical or hormonal services to confirm your gender, licensed professionals may require you to have therapy for a gender dysphoria diagnosis.
While a personal statement and informed consent is sometimes enough, others still require this diagnosis before you begin to transition.
Some providers make it especially difficult by asking for unnecessary tests and assessments before they support your transition. This is another reason to search for medical or mental health care specialized in helping the gender or queer community.
Is transgender therapy covered by insurance providers?
The care you choose and need may or may not be covered by your insurance company. Although it is illegal for insurance companies to deny you the care that you need, some have blanket exclusions on transgender healthcare.
When it comes to solely individual transgender therapy, coverage will depend on your chosen platform and on your chosen clinical psychologist.
Conclusion
If you are searching for a transgender friendly therapist nearby, you might notice that finding a therapist is not as easy as it seems. The above websites can connect you to gender identity therapists after you answer some basic questions. Your therapist can affirm your gender and help you with any associated depression, anxiety, or relationship problems you are experiencing.
It’s important to note that if you or someone close to you is experiencing urgent symptoms of mental illness, such as thoughts of self-harm, you should contact the emergency services at 911 or the suicide prevention hotline on 1-800-273-8255 in the US.
