That sounds so frustrating! She sounds a little... disrespectful to your time and feelings. I don't know, I would be uncomfortable with most of that too. It may be that she's not a good fit for you.

I also think she's disrespectful. I believe she's not a good fit for me. I need someone a bit gentler and she's rough around the edges. She even admitted it herself and I agreed with her. But she's still a bit rough. =/

I can't tell you for sure whether this is a discomfort you should ride out, or if you should start seeking a new therapist. I think six months is too long to be uncomfortable with a therapist, but it can be hard to tell, especially if you open up to people very slowly.

This is quite true. I do open up to people slowly, so that's why I've been giving her a chance. However, things seem like it's going downhill and I don't think I'm benefiting from it anymore.

I would worry less about being disrespectful. She is a professional, she can handle criticism. And it sounds like you need to bring up some of your discomforts with her and tell her how you're feeling. How she reacts to that will tell you a lot about the relationship.

If you are there to secure a letter, you are not there for therapy, you are there for a letter. How honest have you been with her about your goal?

I'd say I've been honest since I kept asking her for the letter for the past couple of months. I thought I'd just be there for that, but it turned into other things, and I thought that would be cool but I made a mistake. =/ I will have to reiterate that I need the letter and then I'll be gone however I HAVE told her that once I get the letter I will move on to someone else.

Her responses around childhood sexual abuse sound cruddy and I would not continue working with her for that reason alone. You certainly should not be feeling like you are the problem.

I was afraid I was overreacting, so thanks for the validation. I appreciate that. I also thought her response was a red flag. =/

Perhaps as importantly, have you been able to effectively explore the issues around your gender identity with her? It doesn't sound like you would feel safe enough with her to dig into the difficult questions of perceived gender versus biological sex.

[B]I actually have been exploring my issues with her but I have to remember that, while it's simple for me to get my issues, it's not simple for her. So she asked questions in the beginning (pertaining to some of the details she needed) and I answered them openly. I actually don't feel bad discussing my gender identity, and in some cases I have to educate her on some stuff.