I started testing the waters with things like 'sometimes I have strong feelings towards you', 'I am fond of you' and it was always met with acceptance by him which allowed me to move onto saying "sometimes part of me thinks 'I love him'" which my T called 'saying it in parentheses'. As my feelings have always been accepted in therapy with him, I have recently been able to talk openly about the love I feel towards him. Every time I have said it more directly than the last, and every time has been scary, but I know I will be accepted so my fear is getting less and less.
For me the point is that if I can say these things to him and be accepted (my feelings were unacceptable and perceived as threatening when I was a child) I can begin to express my feelings about other, deeper issues without fear of rejection. It's a long road but we've made such progress, especially this year.