Meet Cassandra Cooper!
Cassandra Cooper is a Senior Policy Analyst at the University of Kentucky Center for Innovation in Population Health. Cassandra works with jurisdictions in Illinois and other states providing training and technical assistance to systems implementing the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool and Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM).
Prior to coming to University of Kentucky, Cassandra was a Senior Policy Analyst at Chapin Hall in Chicago, Illinois. In her role as a Field Implementation Support Specialist, Trauma Informed Practice Specialist and Learning Collaborative Facilitator at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Cassandra served as a primary facilitator on the implementation of a family- centered, trauma- informed, strength-based model of practice. Cassandra trained, consulted and coached on such subjects as complex trauma, the impact of trauma on children and families, vicarious trauma, the principles of evidence- based trauma intervention models and the use of the CANS in treatment and service planning. She served 6 years as an adjunct professor at Chicago State University in the Psychology Department and taught trauma- informed courses on child abuse and neglect.
Cassandra holds a Master of Arts in Community Counseling Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Fisk University in Nashville, TN. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois and a certified CANS assessor.