Lab Director
John L. Cooley, Ph.D.
E-mail: john.cooley@ufl.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Cooley began working in the mental health field in the summer of 2008 at a short-term residential treatment program for youth with serious emotional and behavioral difficulties. This experience sparked his interest in clinical child psychology, and he returned to work there again the following summer.
In 2010, Dr. Cooley received his undergraduate degree in Psychology and Global Studies from the College of William & Mary and subsequently took a position as a research coordinator at Emory University School of Medicine. He then went on to begin his doctorate at the University of Kansas (KU) in 2012; after participating in the Child Track of the Charleston Consortium Internship Program, Dr. Cooley received his Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Psychology from KU in 2018. He subsequently completed a 2-year NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship focused on developmental psychobiology and prevention science at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
In 2020, Dr. Cooley began a position as an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Texas Tech University. He also obtained a dual appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2022, where he currently supervises clinical services in a Trauma Clinic and a Behavior Management Clinic for children and adolescents.
In January 2025, Dr. Cooley joined the faculty at the University of Florida (UF) as an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Program and as a Faculty Affiliate in the UF Prevention & Intervention Network for Youth, Families, Schools, and Communities. He is honored to be the recipient of the Irving and Rose Fien Endowed Professorship from the College of Education at UF from 2025-2028.
Dr. Cooley has been conducting research on peer relations (peer victimization, bullying, aggressive behavior) and prevention and intervention approaches since 2009, which has been supported through federal, state, foundation, and intramural funding and recognized by multiple awards. Dr. Cooley has authored 46 peer-reviewed journal articles and 2 book chapters and contributed to 85 national and international conference presentations. He has training in advanced quantitative methods (e.g., multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, longitudinal data analysis, psychometrics) and currently works as a statistical consultant for two research teams. Dr. Cooley also serves as a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and as an active ad hoc reviewer for 17 other peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Cooley is a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Texas and has the Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology from the PSYPACT Commission. He is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Selected Child and Teen Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, and Safe-Alternatives for Teens & Youths—Acute (SAFETY-A). Dr. Cooley has worked in a range of clinical settings, including university and hospital outpatient clinics, a community mental health center, a school-based clinic, a community outreach program, a primary care clinic, and a Head Start consultation and treatment program. He has significant experience providing and supervising mental health services for children and adolescents with presenting problems related to trauma, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation/behavior, attention and behavioral difficulties, and bullying/peer victimization.
At Texas Tech University, Dr. Cooley trained doctoral students (Ph.D) in clinical psychology on how to effectively provide evidence-based mental health services for youth and families; he is now doing the same for doctoral students (Ph.D.) and education specialists (Ed.S.) in school psychology at UF.
Google Scholar Website
ResearchGate Website
Below is Dr. Cooley’s address at the 2019 Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology Future Directions Forum: