It's interesting but from reading so many discussions on this topic, it seems like the most positive experiences are had with female therapists. It makes sense, since women (and this is a stereotype but is often true) are usually more in tune with their own and other people's feelings. They tend to understand the subtle nuances and have more ability to read between the lines. Of course there are men out there who are also in touch with people's feelings, but they also often see things in black and white. I've seen both male and female providers and though the men were kind and sensitive, they still tend to take things more at face value than women. I think that it's true that they've all been trained in transference, they are still humans in the end and no amount of training will erase your instinctive reaction. I think women are more at ease with the topic than the men anyway. I think women are used to the concept of crushes from both males and females and don't get as uncomfortable with them as men do. Men, even if they theoretically agree, have a harder time compartmentalizing things, at least when related to sex and love. We are socialized that way. I could be over generalizing, but it does seem to often be the case, at least in the context of erotic or sexual transference.