My Therapist Is Out!

In Part Two of this closing Q&A episode, Renae Johnson and Kristen Crowe turn toward healing — not as a finish line, but as an ongoing, collective practice. Responding to listener questions, they talk openly about navigating hate-based violence, political attacks, and community trauma without shutting down or spiraling.The conversation explores when storytelling can be healing — and when it can feel unsafe or draining — along with how to tell the difference between staying engaged and pushing ourselves past our limits. Renae and Kristen reflect on burnout, activism, therapy during crisis, and what it means to care deeply while still protecting our nervous systems. They close the series by reminding listeners that healing doesn’t require perfection, isolation, or constant resilience — it happens in relationship, in community, and often in small, imperfect steps taken together.TakeawaysShowing up for marginalized communities requires humility and a willingness to learn.Performative activism can be harmful; genuine support is essential.Community dynamics can amplify emotional responses, both positive and negative.Using privilege to support marginalized voices is necessary but should be approached carefully.Everyone needs support, especially in times of crisis.Noted in this episode: The follow-up Bonus Episode with Jose and Renae is coming soon - subscribe to TTP: thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcastsQueer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Beth Rosenberg She/Her @squishicactusQueer Moment of Joy Guest 2: James He/Him Host Bios: Kristen Crowe LPCC, BC-DMT (they/them) Is Licensed Therapist, Dance Therapist, and Clinical Supervisor with Open Space Therapy Collective. Kristen specializes in working somatically with adults and partners to help heal the mind-body connection so you can feel more grounded and vibrant every day.Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. In addition to their clinical work, Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate. As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.To find more from us visit:Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.comInstagram: @openspacetherapycollective TikTok: @openspacetherapy Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisoutYouTube: @openspacetherapycollectiveKeywords: LGBTQ+ mental health podcast, identity-based harm, queer trauma and healing, community care in LGBTQ+ spaces, hate-based trauma recovery, radical healing for marginalized communities, queer therapists podcast, LGBTQ+ collective healing, trauma-informed community care, storytelling as healing in queer communities

In Part One of this listener Q&A, hosts and therapists Renae Johnson (they/them) and Kristen Crowe (they/them) respond to questions from the My Therapist Is Out! community about identity-based harm and what it actually feels like to live inside it. Together, they unpack why so many queer and marginalized folks feel chronically exhausted, disconnected, or unsure whether what they’re carrying “counts” as trauma.Renae and Kristen explore how identity-based harm shows up in the body, in relationships, and in community spaces — especially when those spaces don’t feel as safe or healing as we hoped. They talk about the tension between wanting connection and needing protection, how to support immigrant and targeted communities without centering ourselves, and what community care can look like when we’re already stretched thin. This episode offers validation, clarity, and permission to name what’s happening — without needing to have all the answers yet.TakeawaysThe conversation highlights the exhaustion felt by queer individuals in today's society.Understanding the difference between personal trauma and collective trauma is crucial.Community care plays a vital role in healing from identity-based harm.Emotional responses can be complex and intertwined with societal issues.It's important to recognize the impact of social media on our emotional well-being.Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Charlie Montiel He/They @charlieboytattooQueer Moment of Joy Guest 2: Rae Hamilton-Vargo They/Them @rae_hvHost Bios: Kristen Crowe LPCC, BC-DMT (they/them) Is Licensed Therapist, Dance Therapist, and Clinical Supervisor with Open Space Therapy Collective. Kristen specializes in working somatically with adults and partners to help heal the mind-body connection so you can feel more grounded and vibrant every day.Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. In addition to their clinical work, Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate. As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.To find more from us visit:Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.comInstagram: @openspacetherapycollective TikTok: @openspacetherapy Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisoutYouTube: @openspacetherapycollectiveKeywords: LGBTQ+ mental health podcast, identity-based harm, queer trauma and healing, community care in LGBTQ+ spaces, hate-based trauma recovery, radical healing for marginalized communities, queer therapists podcast, LGBTQ+ collective healing, trauma-informed community care, storytelling as healing in queer communities

In this episode of My Therapist Is Out!therapists Allison Smith (she/they) and Gio Nigro (they/them) dig into how identity-based harm—like microaggressions, cultural erasure, and systemic exclusion—shows up in LGBTQ+ lives and bodies. They explore why healing doesn’t happen in isolation, the role of therapy in reconnecting us to ourselves and each other, and how community care, mutual support, and shared vulnerability build real resilience. Through a lens that honors cultural heritage and generational strength, this conversation offers practical ways to move from disconnection toward belonging—without asking anyone to shrink, assimilate, or heal alone.TakeawaysIdentity-based harm encompasses violence, discrimination, and microaggressions.Microaggressions can have a compounding effect on individuals' mental health.Community support is crucial for healing from identity-based harm.Therapy can help clients navigate the challenges of identity-based harm.Building support systems is essential for mental well-being.Connection with others can mitigate feelings of isolation.Activism can foster a sense of community and belonging.Cultural heritage plays a vital role in individual identity and resilience.Vulnerability is necessary for building meaningful connections.Practical steps can help individuals engage with their communities.Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Clark He/Him @wondermountaincabinQueer Moment of Joy Guest 2: Fafa She/HerHost Bio: Gio Nigro LCSW (they/them) is a Licensed Therapist with Open Space Therapy Collective. Gio specializes in working with queer adults and older adults who struggle to understand their identity and behaviors and who desire to gain confidence and release shame from their past experiences.Allison Smith LCSW (she/they) is a Licensed Therapist at Open Space Therapy Collective. Allison specializes in  integrating trauma-informed, abolitionist frameworks to support clients in exploring identity, relationships, and cultural connections. To find more from us visit:Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.comInstagram: @openspacetherapycollective TikTok: @openspacetherapy Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisoutYouTube: @openspacetherapycollectiveKeywords: identity-based harm, community care, microaggressions, lgbtq herapy, queer support systems, activism, cultural heritage, generational strength, connection, vulnerability

Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with Jose Rosario (he/him) of Phoenix Empowered for a powerful conversation about identity, storytelling, and mental health as pathways to collective healing. Jose shares his lived experience as a queer Latino man with a disability and how storytelling has become both a personal and political act—one that resists erasure, challenges identity-based harm, and creates space for radical healing. Together, they explore how hate-based trauma and systemic oppression show up in the body and mind, why representation in mental health is necessary but not enough, and how community care and cultural practices can foster real empowerment. This conversation names anxiety not as a personal flaw, but as a rational response to ongoing threats, and invites listeners to engage in community, storytelling, and advocacy as acts of resistance and care. Through the lens of Phoenix Empowered, Renae and Jose remind us that healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens when we are seen, heard, and held in community.TakeawaysStorytelling is a powerful tool for healing.Identity-based harm includes various forms of violence, not just physical.Representation in mental health is crucial but not sufficient.Community support is essential for healing and empowerment.Radical healing involves understanding systemic oppression.Cultural practices play a significant role in healing.Anxiety can be a response to systemic threats.Engagement in community can be a form of resistance.Phoenix Empowered aims to amplify marginalized voices. Mentioned in this Episode: Jose’s Ted TalkQueer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Harley He/They @bb.musicstudioGuest 2: Shauna She/Her @palsbarlaGuest Bio : José Rosario is a mental health activist, researcher, and clinician and founder of The Phoenix Empowered, a nonprofit that helps organizations develop culturally-informed mental and social health protocols. José’s lived experience as a gay, Latino person who uses a wheelchair has informed both his clinical practice and his consulting work with organizations such as Home Depot, DoorDash, Shell and Johnson & Johnson. José has spoken at TEDx, Washington State University, University of California Irvine, Arizona State University, ATOP MeaningfulWorld United Nations Affiliate Org, and the National Association of Councils for Developmental Disabilities, among many others. He has served as an American Psychological Association (APA) Interdisciplinary Minority Fellow and is an active member of the APA’s Division of Trauma Psychology Policy and Anti-Oppression Committees. He also serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and the Congressional Advisory Board for former Congressman James Langevin. He has been honored with the Chris Martin Humanitarian Award and the Victoria Lederberg Award for Excellence in Psychology. Host Bio: Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. With clinical expertise in complex trauma, identity development, and creative expression, Renae blends therapeutic depth with a commitment to equity and inclusion.Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate. As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.To find more from us visit:Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.comInstagram: @openspacetherapycollective TikTok: @openspacetherapy Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisoutYouTube: @openspacetherapycollective

In this episode of My Therapist Is Out!, therapists Kristen Crowe (they/them) and Terra Friedman (she/her) unpack how identity-based harm disconnects us from our bodies—and from each other. Through somatic, relational, and systemic lenses, they explore why so many LGBTQ+, BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent, and immigrant folks feel “too much” in some spaces and “not enough” in others, and how disembodiment can become a survival strategy in unsafe systems. Grounded in real therapy room conversations and lived experience, this episode names the impact of racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of marginalization—while offering compassionate, practical ways to reconnect with your body, access community care, and remember that you don’t have to be fully healed to take up space or belong.TakeawaysIdentity-based harm targets individuals based on their identity.Embodiment involves awareness of one's physical and emotional state.Community care is a collective responsibility for well-being.Disconnection from the body can lead to isolation.Healing often occurs within community settings.Societal norms can create barriers to connection.Finding the right community can be a gradual process.It's important to listen to your body's needs.You don't have to be fully healed to engage with others.Taking small steps can lead to greater community involvement.Keywordsidentity-based harm, community care, embodiment, mental health, LGBTQ+, therapy, self-discovery, healing, connection, supportMentioned in this Episode: Instagram accounts: @beingqueerinla @silentbookclubla @beingqueerinla @sapphicla @everywhereisqueer @heyfam @queerasiansocialclub Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Matthew Schmuck He/Him @matthewschmuckGuest 2: Katherine Kottaras She/They @katherinekotarasKristen Crowe BC-DMT, LPCC, CST Bio : Kristen (they/them) Is Licensed Therapist, Dance Therapist, Sex Therapists and Clinical Director with Open Space Therapy Collective. Kristen specializes in working somatically with adults and partners to help heal the mind-body connection so you can feel more grounded and vibrant every day.Terra Friedman AMFT Bio: Terra (she/her) is an Associate Therapist with Open Space Therapy Collective. Terra specializes in working with high achieving womxn who experience anxiety. Terra also works with couples and partners who are currently in or exploring non-monogamous relationships.To find more from us visit:Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.comInstagram: @openspacetherapycollective TikTok: @openspacetherapy Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisoutYouTube: @openspacetherapycollective