Love is a versatile state and emotion. It can be romantic, familial, platonic...

My former therapist I loved a great deal because I sincerely wanted her to be happy, healthy, comfortable. When you spend so much consistent time with someone, it's hard not to develop feelings one way or another. Sometimes my feelings were negative, sometimes positive.

Even when I didn't like her, I had grown extremely comfortable with her and could talk about it. That was one of the ways I experienced love in that room. Growing up, I couldn't always talk to the adults around me (who I "loved" because I was told to love them). I think I partly chose a therapist older than I am so I could experience the feeling of expressing myself fully to a parental-type figure. It weirded me out at first, but now I simply accept it.