I disagree that a GP is not a good source for an initial trial or two of psychiatric medications. Antidepressants are some of the most commonly prescribed medications and GPs prescribe them every day. Modern ADs are generally safe and have low side effect profiles.

Personally I wouldn’t (and didn’t) go to a psychiatrist until after a couple of failed trials and indication that a less common class of AD or a multiple-med cocktail was worth exploring. Other things that would prompt me to seek specialist help earlier would be concurrent conditions whose treatments might interact with the ADs.

I believe the OP is in Canada where GPs are the first line for psych meds and waitlists for pdocs can be long. Given the OP’s history, I find it surprising that she’s met resistance to trying medication. For many people it can help with little to no downside. Trying medication also doesn’t mean you’ll take meds forever or that therapy is no longer necessary. As Anne said, medication can make it easier to make progress in therapy.