Mentoring a New World of Possibilities

Growing up, Morgan Cooley, Ph.D., spent much of her extra time playing the oboe, and said she dreamed of becoming a professional musician. However, during high school and her undergraduate degree, she also relished in making a difference in her community through her volunteer work, including at homeless shelters.

It was her passion to make a difference in the world that drove her to earn a master’s degree in social work, and then a doctorate degree in marriage and family therapy from Florida State University in Tallahassee. She spent four years as an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, before coming to FAU, where she is now an assistant professor in the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work in the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice.

“If you would have asked me at the beginning of my masters whether I thought I would be a foster care researcher with a particular interest in youth mental health, I would have laughed,” she said. “However, I’ve found a home and a lifelong passion for community engaged research with the intent of translating these findings into better practices and policies for those involved in the child welfare system.”

As a first-generation college graduate, Cooley said, she’s found her niche in mentoring, and it “has been an extremely impactful component of my professional development.”

Her mentoring efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Cooley recently received the Emerging Mentor Award from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) in recognition of her outstanding mentorship record. The NCFR awards the Emerging Mentor Award every year to recognize new family science faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and mentorship practices.

“I feel really honored and a bit humbled too,” said Cooley who is a licensed clinical social worker with practice experience in couple and family therapy, working with child welfare-involved families, mental health and trauma, and also those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. Cooley also helps fellow faculty establish publication options by, “helping other faculty members establish their research trajectory and connect them to reliable resources for research,” she said.

Cooley was recently contracted to help with the evaluation towards University of Florida’s awarded grant of $2,500 examining the awareness and usage of the University of Florida Guardianship Assistant Program (GAP), which provides a variety of concrete support to relatives who are taking care of children removed from their biological parent or primary caregiver, due to substance use and mental health needs, putting them with a closest living relative or “kin” relative. “In this project we are examining the knowledge, awareness and promotion of this program (GAP) by both child welfare workers and kin families in the state of Florida," she said.

Here’s a look at what Cooley said about her recent achievement:

How does it feel to win the Emerging Mentor Award?

The mentoring award was for mentoring undergraduate graduate students, and other faculty outside of my typical job duties, like helping students learn how to conduct research, present at national conferences, and write publications. I also helped them with their thesis, capstone projects, applying for graduate degrees and prepared the students for the academic job market.

Creating relationships with my students and colleagues has always been my first priority, and being able to use these relationships to support others in their growth or pursuit of goals has been a bonus. As a first-generation college graduate, mentoring has been an extremely impactful component of my professional development. Mentoring gave me the tools I needed to navigate undergraduate and graduate school, as well as create and follow a path to becoming a researcher and faculty member. However, mentoring has also influenced who I am as a human being and how I view the world. I learn from and grow with my mentees and see mentoring as more than just a professional exchange, but a potential lifelong relationship. I will never be able to pay back the gifts I received from the multiple mentors I have had, and still have, over the years. I really hope to continue to pay it forward.

What does it mean to be a University of Florida GAP program evaluator?

In this project, GAP, we are examining the knowledge, awareness and promotion of this program by both child welfare workers and kin (your closest living family member) families in the state of Florida.

When children are involved in the foster care system it is always best to try and place them with family members or people they are familiar with first, as it gives them a better chance at staying connected with family or friends. However, families often need monetary or physical support to help raise a child. For example, these caregivers are usually grandparents or have children of their own to take care of emotionally and financially.

How does this grant help your research?

My primary research interest is in the mental health of youth in foster care, foster parenting and supporting healthy relationships in foster families. Ensuring families have the physical resources to be healthy is an important aspect of mental and social well-being. This project gives me more knowledge and experience of the needs of related families that are the child’s closest loving family member(s) and how state programs and policies can better meet the needs of these families.

What do you want people to know about this research grant?

Relatives, like grandparents or aunts and uncles, who are taking care of children typically receive lower monetary support from state programs than non-relative foster parents, unless they participate in programs like this and become a licensed foster home. However, becoming licensed and participating in these programs can be challenging and take a lot of time for families who may not have been ready or prepared to take a child into their home. This research will provide some level of awareness of the strengths and areas of enhancement of this program. More research is needed to know how best to support these families, particularly in terms of developing supportive policies and resources.

Do you have any advice for becoming a mentor in your field?

My advice would be to just start a relationship before worrying about what you have to offer, as well as be open and excited to learn from those who you are mentoring. Be curious, be genuine and be yourself.

What is an interesting fact that people at FAU may not know about you?

If you want to do social work for your master’s degree, you don’t necessarily have to have an undergraduate degree in social work. My first bachelor’s degree was in music. You just need to be open to taking some extra coursework and have an interest and commitment to social justice. If anyone is interested in similar topics or a career in child welfare, don’t hesitate to contact me to talk.