I've only been with my T for four months, but I knew I loved her pretty early on so I started telling her in writing. It's a simple warm love born of affection and appreciation for who she is as a human being. I was extremely lucky to have had a great mother, and I recognize when people care about me, and she did - so I started to love her. I had a bit of a shakey time for a few days when I felt like it was wrong or fake or just transference to experience love for her, a professional person, but we had a conversation (the only time we've actually verbalized stuff about the L word ) and she was totally calm and said something like, well feelings can develop in the emotionally intimate kind of relationship we're in.

My T signs off messages with things like "much love" and a couple of times in emails has said things like "you have plenty of love from me" and "I love ya no matter what" so I think has managed to convey positive and caring feelings towards me in a professional appropriate manner - she has never spoken the words, and I don't need her to I hope as my confidence grows in myself as a person of worth, I'm able to say to her "I love you" face to face, without worrying that it means nothing because I'm too damaged for it to mean anything.