Now that you’ve located a few therapists, it’s time to contact and interview them. You can do this through an initial consultation, but it might be better and more cost effective to vet your therapist through a very short phone call in which you ask a few questions.  Ask them if they have any LGBT friends or family. Ask them if they are up to date on the latest scholarly work in their field on LGBT issues. Ask them if they've worked with other LGBT people. Ask them if they are comfortable talking about LGBT issues and if their personal or religious feelings might get in the way. Above all, ask them to be as open an honest with you, as you will be with them. After you’ve interviewed your therapist, you need to schedule an appointment in order to have more time to evaluate them and your comfort level with them. If you don’t feel comfortable, and the therapist did not address all of your concerns and seem sympathetic, then you should go else where. After your initial visit, consider the following:  Did this person seem at ease with you? Did they talk openly about your sexuality or gender identity? Did you feel comfortable? Your therapist should not reinforce negative messages prevalent in society about LGBT people. They should suggest positive coping strategies to deal with the discrimination you experience. Positive coping strategies can include:  Setting boundaries with harmful people in your life. Joining an LGBT group. Finding volunteer work in the community. Now that you’ve researched, interviewed, and chosen your therapist and decided you are comfortable with that person, you should commit to a course of therapy. Working through your issues, whatever they might be, will probably not be a quick or easy process. Therapy is often an ongoing process and it might take months or even years to begin to work through your problems. As long as you are in a positive and affirming relationship with your therapist and you feel it is helping you heal and grow, you should stick with the process!
Interview prospective therapists before you commit. Visit your therapist. Gauge your therapist’s perspective and their intentions. Commit to the process of therapy.