About the Author

Karen Nilsen is a registered nurse and perinatal educator. She has worked in Maternal and Child Health at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Labor and Delivery, High Risk Antepartum and Post Partum, Newborn Nursery, and has taught Lamaze and sibling classes. She volunteers as a substitute school nurse and as a community resource instructor in the local schools teaching Family/Health related topics. She is active in her church as a Sunday school and Confirmation teacher and has served on the governing board as Commissioner of the Youth and Family Ministry.

She is a sponsor member of the Minnesota Funeral Director's Association and a volunteer at a grief camp for kids in Minnesota. She attends both state and national Conventions.

She has written articles about children and grief (The DIRECTOR-October 2000, The American Funeral Director June 2001, The INDEPENDENT series of three articles on Children and Death, Children and the Funeral, and Children and Cremation Sept./Oct Nov./Dec, 2001 and Jan./Feb. 2002.)

She has presented seminars at the New Jersey State Funeral Director's Convention in Atlantic City on Sept. 10, 2001, The NSM Funeral Director's Round Table in November 2001 in Birmingham, Michigan and the OGR Funeral Director's Conference in San Antonio, Texas in March of 2002 and regularly attends the Annual Professional Women in Funeral Service Conference and Networking session.

Video and Audio tapes of Karen's presentation at the OGR Funeral Director's Conference are available from The International Order of the Golden Rule.

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