Ann Russo LCSW

Ann Russo LCSW Healing Trauma, Amplifying Voices: Therapist, Author, Advocate & Founder - Together, we can reimagine what mental health care can be.

I’m a queer entrepreneur, author, and educator dedicated to transforming mental health care through compassion, inclusivity, and empowerment. As the Founder and Clinical Director of AMR Therapy, I’ve led a thriving practice that has served over 2,000 clients, creating a space where marginalized communities feel seen and supported. Currently, my focus is on training mental health professionals and organizations to embrace culturally affirming, sex-positive practices. Through workshops, consulting, and my forthcoming book, [Working Title: Beyond Belief: Healing Religious Trauma and Reclaiming Identity], I equip providers to navigate complex trauma, religious shame, and identity-based challenges with confidence and care. Whether you’re a mental health provider seeking to grow or someone curious about the intersection of trauma, sexuality, and inclusivity, I invite you to connect with me here.

Is there an ethical way to do religion?That’s one of the questions we unpack on the latest episode of the Unruly Travel ...
11/26/2025

Is there an ethical way to do religion?
That’s one of the questions we unpack on the latest episode of the Unruly Travel & Alternative Living Podcast, now live.

We talk about:

– Religious trauma and how it lives in the body
– Q***r identity and rejection
– Growing up in a closeted household in the 80s and 90s
– Why inclusive therapy is essential
– The origins of RTTM and what real healing can look like

This is science, story, and a reminder that you’re not alone in this.

Link in bio to listen
More on RTTM + CEU offerings on my website.

***rTherapist InclusiveTherapy UnrulyTravelPodcast AlternativeLiving MentalHealthSupport

I like the food. I like gathering. I like warmth and shared space and people I feel safe with.What I don’t like is prete...
11/25/2025

I like the food. I like gathering. I like warmth and shared space and people I feel safe with.

What I don’t like is pretending this holiday isn’t rooted in genocide. What I don’t like is how many of us had to spiritualize it as kids. What I don’t like is being asked to show gratitude in ways that ignore harm—personal and historical.

Let’s just say it: Thanksgiving in the U.S. is a holiday built on stolen Native land, historical erasure, and myths of peaceful unity that cover up violent colonization. And for many of us, it also carries the weight of religious performance. “Say what you’re thankful for” was never just a prompt. It was a test. Of tone. Of submission. Of spiritual obedience.

This holiday can be really disorienting for survivors of religious harm. Not just because of the past, but because of what our bodies still do when certain rituals show up. We brace. We go quiet. We dissociate. We perform. We regret. We ruminate for days after. That doesn’t mean we hate our families. It doesn’t mean we don’t want connection. It means that connection was once tied to spiritual control—and our bodies haven’t forgotten.

For many q***r people, many BIPOC folks, and many others who don’t get named enough in these conversations, Thanksgiving carries an extra charge. You’re often sitting at a table where parts of you are invisible, debated, or disrespected—and then asked to express gratitude on top of that. You’re asked to feel “blessed” inside systems that have harmed you or your people. That’s not sensitivity. That’s impact.

You can love the people around you. You can love the moment. And if something in your body pulls back while everyone else leans in, that doesn’t make you ungrateful. It makes you honest.

Menopause isn’t something to fix — it’s something to honor. Your body isn’t broken. It’s shifting.
11/24/2025

Menopause isn’t something to fix — it’s something to honor. Your body isn’t broken. It’s shifting.

Joy doesn’t need to be justified. Rest, pleasure, and creativity are not distractions from healing — they’re part of it....
11/23/2025

Joy doesn’t need to be justified. Rest, pleasure, and creativity are not distractions from healing — they’re part of it.

***rJoy

If the only version of God you were given was guilt, fear, and shame — it’s okay to let that go. That was control, not l...
11/22/2025

If the only version of God you were given was guilt, fear, and shame — it’s okay to let that go. That was control, not love.

***rFaith

11/18/2025

Understanding why you believe what you believe is such a game changer — especially when it comes to urgency, relationships, and how you see yourself.

***rRelationships

Just because it was wrapped in kindness, doesn’t mean it wasn’t harmful. Abuse with a smile is still abuse. **...
11/17/2025

Just because it was wrapped in kindness, doesn’t mean it wasn’t harmful. Abuse with a smile is still abuse.

***rHealing

A lot of our present triggers are just younger parts of us asking, “Am I safe now?” Be gentle with the part of you that ...
11/16/2025

A lot of our present triggers are just younger parts of us asking, “Am I safe now?” Be gentle with the part of you that still remembers what it was like to not be.

***rGrief

Safety should never be a reward for obedience. If you had to shrink yourself to feel held, that wasn’t care. That was co...
11/15/2025

Safety should never be a reward for obedience. If you had to shrink yourself to feel held, that wasn’t care. That was control.
***rHealing

11/11/2025

it hurts watching how many q***r people carry deep grief around faith
not just because of what was said but because of what they were made to feel
like love had to be earned
like safety had to be straight
like god would only show up if you disappeared yourself first

you are not the problem
your q***rness is not the wound
it’s the part that survived

if you’re sitting in that ache
if your nervous system still flinches at scripture
if you can’t tell the difference between surrender and self-abandonment
you’re not alone
and you’re not too far gone .

***rHealing ***rGrief ***rMentalHealth

11/11/2025

it hurts watching how many q***r people carry deep grief around faith
not just because of what was said but because of what they were made to feel
like love had to be earned
like safety had to be straight
like god would only show up if you disappeared yourself first

you are not the problem
your q***rness is not the wound
it’s the part that survived

if you're sitting in that ache
if your nervous system still flinches at scripture
if you can’t tell the difference between surrender and self-abandonment
you’re not alone
and you're not too far gone .

***rHealing ***rGrief ***rMentalHealth

Address

Los Angeles, CA
13323

Telephone

+13232075901

Website

http://www.amrtherapy.com/, https://linktr.ee/annrussolcsw

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