Katherine Russell teaches psychology at RISD. She is also a clinical psychologist and has endeavored to balance clinical practice with teaching throughout her training and career. By doing so, she seeks to enrich classroom learning by providing relevant, meaningful and engaging examples of how the content of the coursework applies in a real-world setting. 

Russell’s expertise is in Applied Clinical Psychology, with a special interest in the body-mind-spirit connection. Her research has explored how different ways of languaging post-surgical experiences may enhance the sense of voice and integration of the medical experience. This research heavily focuses on the power of metaphor as a mechanism to understand that which is ambiguous and difficult to articulate. 

Russell graduated from Smith College and received her PsyD from Antioch University New England. She completed her post-doctoral training at Albany Medical Center, working in the outpatient center, psychiatric inpatient unit and consult liaison service of the general hospital. In addition, she has experience in a wide range of other settings, including community mental health and international disaster relief service. 

In her free time, Russell enjoys hiking, being in nature, painting and playing the harp.