Ann Russo LCSW

Ann Russo LCSW Healing Religious Trauma, Amplifying ALL Voices: Therapist, Author, Advocate & Founder of AMR Therapy.

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. Together, we can reimagine what mental health care can be.

This is decorum.This is dignity.This is how adults in public life behave.Political disagreement is normal.Dehumanization...
02/06/2026

This is decorum.
This is dignity.
This is how adults in public life behave.

Political disagreement is normal.
Dehumanization is not.



02/03/2026

Hating back isn’t the answer; understanding can lead to real change. It’s easy to respond to negativity with more negativity, but taking a step back to empathize and seek understanding can pave the way for progress. By fostering an environment of open communication and empathy, we can address the root causes of disagreements and work towards solutions that benefit everyone. Real change starts with a mindset shift from retaliation to understanding.

02/02/2026

Exploring the idea that God gave us a brain and encouraging us to use it can lead to meaningful conversations and insights. By fostering an open dialogue, we can delve into the depths of understanding and wisdom. If you're interested in learning more about this perspective and how it can enrich your life, I invite you to visit my website at annrusso.org for further exploration and insights.





















***rAffirmingTherapy



































02/01/2026

I explore corrective experiences related to trauma. Through discussions and expert insights, I examine how these experiences facilitate healing and transformation for trauma survivors. Learn more on my website. annrusso.org





















***rAffirmingTherapy



































You don’t have to choose between God and pleasure.On the S*x Reimagined Podcast, I talk about how high-control faith sys...
01/31/2026

You don’t have to choose between God and pleasure.

On the S*x Reimagined Podcast, I talk about how high-control faith systems shape sexual shame, desire, and intimacy, and why sexual empowerment is about authentic choice, not performance. We explore how religious trauma impacts the nervous system, sexual function, and self-trust, and what healing can look like whether you stay in faith, leave it, or live somewhere in between.

If your body learned fear where pleasure should live, this conversation is for you.

Listen now. Link in bio.

sexpositivetherapy

You don’t have to choose between God and pleasure.On the S*x Reimagined Podcast, I talk about how high-control religious...
01/31/2026

You don’t have to choose between God and pleasure.

On the S*x Reimagined Podcast, I talk about how high-control religious systems shape sexual shame, desire, and intimacy, and why sexual empowerment is about authentic choice rather than performance. We explore how religious trauma impacts the nervous system and sexual function, and what healing can look like whether someone stays in faith, leaves it, or exists somewhere in between.

If intimacy feels complicated or your body learned fear instead of safety, this episode offers language and a path forward.

Listen here:
https://buff.ly/dKl5On9

*xualEmpowerment *xuality

I watched the news of Catherine O’Hara’s passing move through the community like a current. It showed up in brief conver...
01/30/2026

I watched the news of Catherine O’Hara’s passing move through the community like a current. It showed up in brief conversations, in names spoken softly, in the shared recognition that something steady had shifted. Catherine O’Hara was not just admired. She was trusted.

She earned that trust through a lifetime of work that treated people as whole. Her characters were vivid and specific, never reduced to punchlines. They carried fear, ambition, tenderness, insecurity, devotion. She let all of it exist at once. Watching her, you felt recognized rather than corrected.

Catherine understood humor as a way of living, not a way of avoiding. “I think everyone is born with humor,” she once said, “but your life can beat it out of you, sadly, or you can be lucky enough to grow up in it.” That sentence explains her career. Her comedy protected what life tries to flatten. It preserved emotional range. It made room.

In Schitt’s Creek, she helped create a world where people were allowed to be fully themselves without punishment or apology. She understood that representation does not have to be traumatic to be true. Sometimes it just has to be stable. Sometimes it has to let people breathe.

Her work carries a quiet mental health legacy. Catherine modeled emotional fluency. She showed how intensity can coexist with steadiness, how grief can sit alongside humor, how vulnerability does not require self-erasure. “I think the success of my work stems from being truthful,” she said. That truthfulness is what audiences felt in their bodies when they watched her.

Catherine O’Hara leaves behind more than iconic roles. She leaves behind a felt sense of permission. Permission to be complex. Permission to be expressive. Permission to be human without shrinking. She lived her life in full voice. She trusted the audience to meet her there. And we will carry that forward.

Q***r mental health disparities are not caused by q***rness.They are caused by rejection.This Chicago Journal article ex...
01/26/2026

Q***r mental health disparities are not caused by q***rness.
They are caused by rejection.

This Chicago Journal article explores my work in inclusive mental health care and religious trauma treatment, particularly with LGBTQ+ individuals impacted by high-control faith environments. It covers why faith and q***rness don’t have to be an either-or, how trauma shows up somatically, and why healing must begin with safety, consent, and choice.

Read the full article here:
https://buff.ly/7qNvD29

This Los Angeles Wire article tells the story behind my work.Ann Russo on Living Authentically: Faith, Identity, and Inc...
01/25/2026

This Los Angeles Wire article tells the story behind my work.

Ann Russo on Living Authentically: Faith, Identity, and Inclusive Healing traces my journey from growing up in a quietly q***r family to navigating evangelical spaces and ultimately creating the Religious Trauma Treatment Model. It explores faith, identity, boundaries, and what healing can look like without abandoning yourself or your beliefs.

Read here:
https://buff.ly/Pzz87es

Childhood programming doesn’t disappear just because we grow up.In this episode of More S*x than Secrets, I talk about h...
01/24/2026

Childhood programming doesn’t disappear just because we grow up.

In this episode of More S*x than Secrets, I talk about how religious abuse and early conditioning shape adult relationships, trust, and intimacy. We explore the impact of shame and confusion on the nervous system, the role of inner child healing, and how survivors can move from feeling stuck to reclaiming sovereignty over their lives.

We also discuss the difference between traditional therapy and integrative, whole-system approaches to healing.

Listen here:
https://buff.ly/Qls8YTo

Address

Los Angeles, CA
13323

Telephone

+13232075901

Website

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

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