Francesca Lo Russo, LMHC, MFA

Licensed Mental Health Counselor, NY · Couples Therapist

Private practice in Gramercy Park, Manhattan

  • Couples

  • Sex Therapy

  • Neurodivergent Relationships

  • LGBTQIA+

  • Creative Individuals

SEES PATIENTS: In person · Online

  1. English

Francesca is a licensed psychotherapist with over seven years of clinical experience who specializes in helping couples navigate relationship challenges, while also working with individual adults. She sees patients in her private practice in Gramercy Park, Manhattan.

She supports patients in exploring unintegrated emotions and the stories they carry about themselves — work that fosters greater self-understanding, compassion, and curiosity as a foundation for meaningful change.

Specialties and Areas of Focus

PopulationsNeurodivergent adults, including couples with different neurotypes · LGBTQIA+ individuals · Kink- and sex-worker-affirming · People in consensually non-monogamous and other non-traditional relationship structures · Artists, writers, musicians, and other creative individuals · Individuals exploring intimacy, sexuality, and relationship concernsClinical AreasAnxiety · Depression · Sexuality, intimacy, and dating · Grief · Complex trauma · Creative process · Substance use · Disordered eatingSpecial InterestsCouples therapy · Creative individuals · Sex therapy · Dating and intimacy

Therapeutic Approach and Modalities

Francesca provides a warm, collaborative, and non-judgmental space. She believes that sensitivity, a genuine sense of humor, close listening, and careful attention to affect can create the conditions for trust and depth in the therapeutic relationship.

Unique to her work: Francesca particularly enjoys working with neurodivergent and creative-thinking individuals, and personally understands the challenges of finding one's place in a world that often privileges more conventional ways of thinking and being. This lived perspective informs both her clinical sensitivity and her deep appreciation for the unconventional.

  • Psychodynamic

  • Attachment-based (EFT)

  • DBT

  • Systemic

  • Relational

  • Neurodiversity-affirming

Training and Credentials

Degrees & InstitutionsMSEd, Mental Health Counseling — Hunter College, CUNY
MFA, Painting — Yale University
BA — University of TexasCertifications & Specialized TrainingEmotion-Focused Couples Therapy Training — NYCEFT · Couples Therapy Training and Education Program — William Alanson White Institute · Relational Theory and Clinical Practice — Stephen Mitchell Center · Sex Therapy Coursework — ICP (Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy)

Personal Note

My background as an artist has deeply informed my clinical perspective, fostering an appreciation for unconventional ways of seeing, thinking, and relating to the world. I also identify as neurodivergent and understand firsthand the challenges of navigating environments and relationships that are often shaped by neurotypical expectations. This experience informs my sensitivity to difference, accommodation, and the complexities of connection across different ways of being.

Work with Francesca. Free 20-minute call