Faculty
Professor and Practicum & Internship Coordinator Master of Science in Counseling Program, Online
Miami
Counseling Psychology, Faculty
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (772) 291-6642
Current Title & Duties
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart serves as full-time Associate Professor and Practicum and Internship Coordinator for the Online Master’s of Science in Counseling at Albizu University-Miami. Her primary responsibilities are course development and teaching online graduate level counseling classes. Dr. Cooper-Leonhart also provides supervision and mentorship to counselors in training, while serving as the liaison between students and their clinical internship sites. She is diligent in the pursuit of ongoing research to enhance the field of counseling and counselor education.
Biography
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart has over 10 years of combined experience in the fields of mental health counseling and counselor education. Her experience working in substance abuse, community and pediatric mental health signaled to her that there is a continued need for growth in the field of counseling to address ongoing systemic mental health issues. As a counselor educator, Dr. Cooper-Leonhart has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in clinical mental health and school counseling and has assisted in the adherence of CACREP accreditation.
As a licensed mental health counselor, Dr. Cooper-Leonhart remains active in the field, maintaining a small private practice where she sees clients presenting a range of mental health issues. As a trauma counselor, she is trained in EMDR, and continues to explore and become trained in a multitude of modalities that serve client’s various needs such as TF-CBT, DBT and Feminist Therapy.
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart is passionate about the incorporation of equity and diversity as well as social justice within the field of counseling. She remains active in the promotion of these missions by contributing to ongoing research, presenting at conferences, and encouraging open dialogue in her classroom that challenges students to learn more about themselves and the society in which they strive to create positive change.
Research / Research Interests
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart’s research interests include the impacts of intimate partner violence on marginalized populations, the role of politics and social media on vicarious trauma, and the improvement of supervision for counselors in training, among other topics.
Academics, Education, Certifications
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Florida, and Qualified Supervisor (QS).
Dr. Cooper-Leonhart earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and minored in Judaic Studies at the University of Miami, and her Master of Science degree in Applied Psychology from Lynn University, a CACREP accredited program in Boca Raton, Florida. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, which is also CACREP accredited. While at FAU, she was the recipient of the Presidential Fellowship Award. Finally, while completing her doctorate, she earned a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University.
She is a member of the American Counselors Association (ACA), Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ), Association for Counseling Education and Supervision (ACES), and Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) an international honor society that values academic and professional excellence in counseling.
Recent Publications
Book Chapter Contribution:
• Canfield, B. (2020). Intercultural Perspectives on Family Counseling. Routledge Press.
• Contributed Chapter 11- Navigating Gender Role Conflicts in Modern Jewish Marriage (Cooper, A.).
Dissertation:
• Cooper-Leonhart, A., (2023) Examining Relationships Between Rape Myth Acceptance,
• Sexual Experiences and Victimization and Recovery-Efficacy Among Minority
Women on College Campuses. Atlantic University ProQuest Dissertations
Publishing, 2023. 30317203.
• Cooper, A (2023). Importance of Scholarly Research for Minority Women’s Trauma Recovery on College Campuses. Social Justice Symposium. Antioch University.
• Cooper, A (2022). Social Justice Efforts and Self Care in Clinical Counselors. Association for Humanistic Counseling 2021 Conference. Virtual
• Cooper, A (2021). Social Justice Efforts and Compassion Fatigue in Counseling. Online Social Justice Symposium. Antioch University.
• Cooper, A. (2021). Clinical Counselor’s Role in the Modern Social Justice Movement. Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Conference. Virtual.
