Lydia Cooper

Lydia Cooper serves as Program Manager for Family Education and Support at Mental Health Partnerships, a nonprofit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this role for the past five years, she manages four separate programs funded by different sources, providing education, training, and resources to family members of those facing mental health challenges while also delivering conference presentations and keynotes on supporting loved ones through severe mental health crises. Prior to this position, she trained kinship caregivers, primarily grandparents raising grandchildren after parental removal, and led the training group for the Quality Parenting Initiative in Philadelphia, where she spearheaded a video training platform with over 150 videos that all 24 foster care agencies in the city now use to help foster parents and kinship caregivers complete required training hours online. Cooper has worked in social services since approximately 1982, beginning with the Mayor's Commission on Prison Overcrowding and continuing through roles with the state, private agencies, and foster care organizations. She holds an associate's degree in computer programming and maintains certifications as a State Certified Peer Specialist, Family Peer Support Specialist, Certified Trainer in Effective Black Parenting, Handle With Care, and the ABC Method of Behavioral Modification. She is also a deaconess at her church. Cooper attributes her success to stubbornness, intuitiveness, and blessings from God, and she emphasizes the importance of being a good team player while prioritizing self-care to maintain boundaries between work and personal life.