Memories of Karen Russell by Nancy Ross
You knew Karen was in your group, as she established her presence the minute she walked into a room. And we all listened. Karen was a force to be reckoned with, and from the time I first met her to discuss what one day would become Collaborative Practice, she often focused that passion on her advocacy of children and those less fortunate, and of course, she would staunchly defend ideas that she believed in.
She believed in children having a voice, in helping clients stay out of court, and she believed in the idea of an international umbrella group to serve as a major organization in helping the fledgling Collaborative Practice get started. Because she was Karen, and because she was so passionate, she gave her all to what was to become the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and to working with some of her most cherished friends and colleagues as a trainer in the Collaborative Team Model.
Her contributions to CPSV are so many and so important, that they live on today. Those of us who worked alongside of her feel a great loss both personally and professionally at her passing, and at the same time we feel a sense of gratitude for having known her and worked with her these many years in what was to become a life’s work for many of us.