Photo by Lexi Coon.
Anne LaRussa, who founded Oasis Counseling and the Anne B. LaRussa Foundation of Hope, recently wrote “The Knitter,” a story of family life and mental health awareness.
When Mountain Brook resident Anne LaRussa first started writing “The Knitter,” her book about her heritage and personal experiences, she thought it was for her family. As she continued writing, however, she realized her book could become much more.
“The whole book has so many different emotions in it,” she said. “There’s sadness, joy, grief, but there’s hope, and there’s love, and there’s all of those good things that I think make it a wonderful book for a family and for people who are interested in learning about mental health.”
“The Knitter” follows LaRussa’s paternal family tree, which she was able to document back to her great-grandparents in Sicily. The book then jumps to her grandparents and early childhood years. Readers meet her parents, her father’s “mom and pop” grocery store, her sister and her future husband, Benny.
Readers also are introduced to her anxiety. After having her sixth child, LaRussa writes about being diagnosed with postpartum depression, which “led to a major depressive episode.”
She got treatment, and in her book writes of the friendly advice from her youngest son, David, to “get a life.” She did just that.
LaRussa earned her master’s degree in counseling, pursued a postgraduate degree as an education specialist, opened Oasis Counseling for Women and Children in Birmingham and continued creating memories with her family until nearly all those family members began having families of their own.
Much like LaRussa’s journey into the world of counseling and mental health awareness, she had the support of her family, so did her book.
“They [my children] were the first ones to just ask me so many times,” she said. “At some point, I decided, you know, if I’m going to write it, I better start on it.”
Four and a half years later, “The Knitter” was published with the help of her daughter, Karen, who introduced LaRussa to her publisher while at a retreat on yoga and depression. LaRussa said she had experience in writing after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and working in counseling for so many years.
“Of course, the counseling itself is just paper after paper that you have to write and do a lot of research for, too,” she said.
Her grandchildren helped her as well, she said, teaching her how to use the different programs and software needed to write the book.
While she initially thought her book was for her family, LaRussa soon realized she wanted her book to reach further and help with the stigma of mental illnesses and depression. She decided the proceeds of her book would go toward her new foundation, the Anne B. LaRussa Foundation of Hope.
“So, then the book had another purpose,” she said. “I was going to include my personal experiences in the book; I always knew I was going to do that, but I just decided this would also be a way of expanding the book to accomplish more.”
Because aspects of mental health are so broad, LaRussa’s friend and colleague, Robin Sparks, helped her narrow down her foundation to work with children.
“Anne was just so sure she wanted to do something else in mental health to make a difference based on experiences,” Sparks said. “It’s going to promote mental wellness in our community, in our state.”
While LaRussa admitted it was difficult to put all of her experiences in writing, she hopes people still will be able to understand the influence her family has had on her and know help is available for those with a mental illness.
“I thought, just tell it like it was, and hopefully people will get help,” she said. “They will know that it’s not the end of the world. There’s plenty of help out there; you just have to ask for it.”
For instructions on how to purchase a copy of "The Knitter," visit annelarussafoundationofhope.org or call Casey at 313-4802.
