Are you searching for support from a gender-affirming therapist, who understands what it’s like to be transgender?
In this article, we’ve explained some of the best ways to connect with an LGBTQ+ therapist, near you or online.
We’ll also explain how transgender-affirming therapy works, look at what it costs, and explain the types of support available—so you can move forward with care that respects and affirms exactly who you are.
Transgender therapy near me
Below, we’ve taken a look at some of the best places online to find a transgender therapist in your state, town, or city.
1. BetterHelp
If you are looking for a therapist who affirms and embraces your gender identity, BetterHelp is an online platform that helps connect you with LGBT-affirming therapists.
This service can help you connect with a licensed mental health professional who understands the unique mental health needs of people across the gender and sexuality spectrum (e.g. transgender, nonbinary etc).
Whether you are working through anxiety, depression, identity questions, or trauma, BetterHelp can match you with a therapist who respects your lived experience. They have a huge number of transgender-affirming therapists available on the platform, many of whom specialize in areas such as trauma and gender dysphoria.
To get started, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about yourself, your preferences in a therapist, and what you would like to work on.
After that, the platform matches you with a therapist whose background aligns with your needs. And if you’re not happy with your match, you can switch therapists at any time.
Therapy is conducted fully online, allowing you to communicate through video calls, text messaging, over the phone, or via live chat—depending on what fits your lifestyle or current needs best. For example, if you have a busy schedule, you can book in video calls at a time that works for you, or just use written communication if that feels more comfortable.
BetterHelp pricing ranges from $60 to $90 per week, billed monthly, depending on your therapist’s qualifications and their location. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
The one issue with BetterHelp is, health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, don’t cover the service.
On the plus side though, discounts are available for those facing financial hardship—you have the option to describe your financial situation when signing up, and depending on your income and other circumstances, you might be able to get a discount on the monthly cost of therapy.
2. Inclusive Therapists
If you’re seeking a therapist who truly understands how gender identity and expression affect your mental health, Inclusive Therapists offers a directory built with the LGBTQ+ community in mind.
The platform focuses on helping LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Intersex, Black, neurodivergent, and disabled clients, especially those who have been marginalized by traditional therapies or who feel unsupported by therapists unfamiliar with transgender identities.
Therapists are carefully vetted, and on their profiles, are asked to reflect on their values, identity-affirming practices, and commitment to anti-oppressive care.
You can search for a transgender-affirming therapist near you based on each professional’s gender identity, cultural background, and other personal factors such as their specialty and professional licensing.
You can also use their Get Matched service, where a real person (not an algorithm) manually selects up to three providers that might be a good fit, based on the information you share after filling out a brief form.
The chosen therapists will then contact you directly by email or phone to get started, offering telehealth or in-person sessions, with some offering sliding scale pricing (fees based on your income) or financial aid options for those who qualify.
However, because this is a smaller directory, therapist options may be limited depending on your filters, especially if you are looking for someone with specific availability or lived experience.
In smaller towns and cities, it might be difficult to find a transgender or transgender-affirming therapist on this website. In some areas, only one or two providers may appear after narrowing your search.
3. Online-Therapy.com
Online-Therapy.com is a structured digital platform built entirely around Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), offering self-paced mental health support from licensed therapists.
While this service is not specifically tailored to the LGBTQ+ community, the sign-up process includes options to identify your gender (e.g., transgender female) and specify preferences in a counselor—such as working with an LGBTQ+ or transgender-affirming therapist.
Though this platform is not exclusively focused on LGBTQ+ care, it can help you connect with licensed therapists with experience in supporting transgender and LGBTQ+ clients.
After signing up, you are matched with a therapist based on your concerns, such as anxiety, depression, or stress, and guided through an interactive CBT course. The program includes step-by-step lessons, worksheets, and an activity planner to help you apply CBT techniques in your daily life.
You can message your therapist at any time, and can access regular live therapist sessions via video call, phone, or chat, depending on your plan. The platform also includes yoga and meditation videos to support your emotional well-being.
Although Online-Therapy.com may be more affordable than traditional therapy, it does not accept insurance, and live sessions are only included on their more expensive plans.
What you need to know
In this section, we’ve explained some good things to keep in mind when searching for transgender therapy.
How to find a transgender-affirming therapist
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, finding a therapist who affirms and understands your gender identity can feel a bit daunting.
Therapists come from a wide range of different backgrounds (e.g. social work, counseling, psychology). But when searching for a therapist, it’s also crucial that they have experience working with transgender clients, and that they use evidence-based approaches that can help with the issues you’re facing.
It can be a good idea to start by exploring platforms that focus on inclusivity. BetterHelp for example has a range of therapists with experience helping LGBTQ+ individuals, and can match you with a transgender-affirming therapist after a short intake process. Plus, they make it very easy to switch between therapists if you ever feel it’s not a good fit.
Inclusive Therapists allows you to filter by therapists’ gender identity, therapeutic approach, and lived experience, or you can use their Get-Matched service to receive personalized therapist suggestions.
And Online-Therapy.com allows you to indicate your gender identity and get matched with an LGBTQ+ therapist during the sign-up process, allowing you to get help from someone who understands and affirms your gender identity.
Ultimately, when searching for an experienced LGBTQ+ therapist, a good fit is not just about their qualifications and credentials—it’s about feeling safe, respected, heard, and seen.
What does it cost to see a transgender therapist?
The average cost of therapy in the U.S. is around $139 per session, and prices have been rising steadily in recent years.
While transgender therapy is not necessarily more expensive, it can be harder to access through insurance networks or local providers, which sometimes pushes clients toward private pay options.
The good news for those who struggle to afford counseling is, some therapists offer sliding scale pricing, meaning they adjust their fees based on your income or financial situation, making therapy more affordable.
On BetterHelp, therapy generally costs around $60–$90 per week, depending on your location and the therapist’s specializations. However, they offer a financial aid option for those who would struggle to afford the full fee.
On Inclusive Therapists, rates vary since each provider sets their own fees. While some counselors may charge $200+ per session, others fall in the $75–$150 range, with sliding scale options as low as $30–$70, based on your income, with certain therapists—though these discounted sessions can be hard to find, depending on where you live.
On Online-Therapy.com, subscription plans start at $44 per week, with a 20% discount applied during the first month. The platform offers a few different subscription plans:
- Basic Plan: daily therapist messaging (no live sessions)
- Standard Plan: one 45-minute live session per week
- Premium Plan: two live sessions per week
You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription at any time, and payments are processed monthly.
While insurance is not accepted, it is possible to apply for financial aid during checkout.
How transgender-affirming therapy differs from a typical therapy session
If you are exploring therapy as a transgender or gender diverse person, it’s important to know that therapy experiences can vary widely—especially when it comes to understanding and supporting your gender identity.
Some less understanding therapists may focus on general emotional challenges and sometimes, even unintentionally, treat gender identity as something to analyze or ‘explain’.
In contrast, gender-affirming therapy is designed to respect, support, and celebrate your identity from the start. While general therapy can be supportive, it doesn’t always acknowledge the unique challenges you face, or worse, it may question or pathologize your identity, meaning to treat it as abnormal.
In contrast to conventional therapy, in transgender counseling, you might also talk to your therapist about medical transition options like hormone therapy or surgery. The therapist can guide you through informed consent and offer support in dealing with the emotional challenges that may come with these changes.
Whether you are navigating social transition, managing your mental health, or just need a space to talk, the therapist walks beside you, not ahead of you. Their focus is always on your well-being, never on questioning who you are.
Common issues that transgender therapists can help with
A transgender-affirming therapist can help you navigate a wide range of challenges that members of the LGBTQ+ community often experience, as well as more general mental health concerns.
Some common issues you might face include anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, often arising due to stigma, discrimination, and trauma.
You might also be dealing with gender dysphoria, navigating coming out, or exploring medical transition options like hormone therapy or surgery.
For some, questions about fertility, body image, or relationships come up. Finding a therapist who respects your identity can ease fears around being misgendered, judged, or misunderstood.
Whether you are looking for emotional support, help managing stress, or guidance through transition-related steps, a transgender therapist will focus on your needs, respect your identity, and guide you toward the outcomes you define as important.
Types of treatments a transgender therapist may provide
A gender-affirming therapist can use various evidence-based, psychosocial approaches to help you navigate complex mental health challenges related to your gender identity.
These approaches are tailor-made to support your goals, not change who you are. Some common types of treatments include:
- Transgender Affirming CBT (TA-CBT): challenges negative thinking linked to dysphoria, for example, if you think “No one will ever respect me as a man,” your therapist may ask, “Can you think of any people in your life who already do?” [source]
- Narrative therapy: helps you reframe your story, such as changing “I am always hiding“ into “I have become myself“. [source]
- Solution-focused therapy: guides you to set practical goals, such as planning how to use your chosen name at work. [source]
- Trauma-based therapy: you might process painful memories, such as bullying or rejection related to your identity. [source]
With transgender therapy, you can also talk about social, medical, or legal transition in a safe, non-judgmental space. Each step is grounded in affirmation and moves at your pace, free from social stigma or pressure to conform.
Conclusion
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the first step to better mental health is seeking the right support. Thankfully, despite the stigma and discrimination you may face, more resources are available for the transgender and gender-diverse community than ever before.
Gender-affirming therapy is not about changing who you are; it’s about supporting you as you discover your true self and learn to live with who you are.
If you’re still struggling to find a transgender therapist for you, leave us a comment below, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
