"Transphobia in the Clinic"

I was moved from another centre over to the Eudoria Street clinic some months ago seeking help and was placed with a psychiatrist who refused to use my preferred name in appointments and consistently dead-named me and used incorrect pronouns (instead of they/them) when discussing me with my supportive nurse/case manager who would be in appointments with me and the psychiatrist. The nurse would even gently try to correct the psychiatrist and the psychiatrist wouldn't budge.

The psychiatrist made me cry several times in the clinic because of this and their arguing with me about prescriptions. They'd insist on writing me 2 week's worth of meds no matter how much I and the nurse explained I'm having financial difficulties and that forces me to pay for 1 month's meds twice per month. It was especially frustrating because I was eligible for free medications under the Medicare safety net and I felt they didn't seem to care. I had to go back to my GP for scripts because the psychiatrist wrote my script for 1 month after arguing a long time, but didn't tick PBS, so I had to get PBS from my GP after all that emotional energy.

I came into the office crying once because there was a Bible placed in front of the sign for inclusion of trans people. I complained to the front desk staff and I felt they acted like it was no big deal that a religious document was out on the table in front of the inclusion sign. I tried to explain to the psychiatrist why I was so upset and I felt they defended the religious document being left out for patients in the clinic. I was shaking and sobbing in the appointment and it truly traumatised me.

I talked to Transfolk of WA about what happened and I believe they were just as shocked as me about a religious document being out in a public healthcare service. On the last time I was at the clinic after asking to see a different psychiatrist (there wasn't one, just rotating short-term psychiatrists filling in), the religious book was out again after me making several verbal complaints to various staff at the clinic. I even saw a business card for a local religious association on the table.  I believe that someone (or multiple people) who works at the clinic clearly has problems with trans people and thinks they need religion as I felt there were plenty of places it could have been left but every time it was right in front of that sign.

I am deeply traumatised by all this and it's made my medical ptsd so much worse. I'm dissociating all the time and absolutely terrified of going back, so I asked to be discharged from the service so I could go to another program.

There is a lot more information, and I am making a formal complaint with the assistance for a mental health advocate but this is the basic story.