Hi tempburger,
Thanks for joining the forums. You may have answered your own question; there are good reasons to make assumptions about who we might best connect with in a counselling situation, as the relationship is very personal. Some men may feel more comfortable talking to a man (or women to women), or someone round the same age, or from the same cultural background even.
A good friend of mine, a comedian and mental health campaigner in New Zealand and very much a bloke's bloke, has said often that he was really surprised that when he sought help for his depression and addiction issues that the counsellor he clicked most with was an older woman and he didn't expect this at all.
So ultimately yes, the decision is up to you, but there are some things you can do first to make sure the person is the right fit.
This resource from the Black Dog Institute has tips about finding a mental health-friendly GP, but the information is equally as applicable to finding a counsellor or psychologist - http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/Findingamentalhealthfriendlydoctor.pdf
Please let us know how you go.
