Women in Social Services Panel

Sunday, February 1st

1:00pm-2:00pm

Join us for an incredible and lively panel discussion on Women in Social Services in honor of Brigid’s Day. We will be joined by a group of phenomenal panelists who will discuss their experiences and the current healthcare climate.

There will be light food and warm beverages available for purchase. All are welcome for this free event!

Our Panelists:

Catherine Cooper, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for VA Maine

Catherine Cooper is a clinical social worker with more than 25 years of human services experience. She currently serves as VA Maine’s Program Manager for the Suicide Prevention Program and has been in this role since August 1, 2022. Previously she was an Emergency Department Social Worker in Massachusetts and has held a variety of leadership positions for agencies serving adults with disabilities, unhoused individuals and children involved in the child welfare system. Catherine also maintains a small, part-time private practice as a therapist. She lives with her spouse and their cat in the 1840’s house of their dreams in Augusta.

Hannah Longley, Clinician and Critical Incident Responder, Dochas Wellness

Hannah Longley, LCSW is a mental health clinician, educator, and advocate with nearly two decades of experience in crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and statewide systems development. She is the Owner of Dochas Wellness, LLC, providing mental health training, consultation, and specialized support to organizations and communities across Maine. Hannah serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Central Maine Community College, where she teaches public safety, psychology, and sociology courses and contributes to workforce development in crisis response.

Previously, she was Director of Advocacy and Crisis Intervention at NAMI Maine, leading statewide training initiatives, advancing Platinum-level Crisis Intervention Teams, managing state and federal grants, and advocating for mental health policy and crisis system reform. Her earlier work includes leadership roles in crisis services and serving as Psychological Health Coordinator for the Maine Army National Guard. Hannah is nationally recognized for her work in law enforcement–mental health collaboration and has received multiple state and national awards. She holds a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College and an MSW from Boston College

Mary Ann Folley, School social worker, Bonny Eagle Middle School

Mary Ann Folley, LCSW. I graduated with my master’s degree in Social Work concentration Child Welfare, in 2003 from the University of Vermont. While in graduate school, I started with grassroots social work, working as a residential counselor for Northeastern Family Institute NFI. Upon graduation, I went to work for SRS (current day DCF) in Vermont. I remained in that position in Vermont until 2009 when I moved to Maine. I worked for DHHS in Biddeford Maine from 2009 until 2015. After the death of my college friend and colleague Lara Sobel in Vermont, I began to question the safety of my position. Lara was shot and killed in the parking lot of the DCF office I worked at, by an angry parent. That same weekend, a friend and principal at Bonny Eagle Middle School reached out and asked if I would apply for a job at his middle school. Although my heart lay with children in foster care, I took the chance and got the job. This is my 10th year with Bonny Eagle Middle school as their General Education Social Worker. This means any student, whether they have a special education identification or not, can meet with me. We also have 2 other dedicated Special education social workers in our building. I pull from all of my social work experience and schooling in each position I have held. I thoroughly enjoy working with students in some of the most challenging schooling years of their life. If I can be a blip on their radar, that they recall with fondness then I have done my job.

Kiley Wilkens-O’Brien, Public health strategist, death doula, and leader in suicide prevention, postvention, and crisis system reform, Covenstead

Kiley Wilkens-O’Brien is a public health strategist, death doula, and nationally recognized leader in suicide prevention, postvention, and crisis system reform. Her work bridges frontline care and systems change, grounded in a deep commitment to dignity, consent, and meaning-making. She has led the development of Maine’s Suicide Mortality Review initiative, supported the launch of 988 and oversaw creation of novel community-based crisis services, such as the Living Room Crisis Center and Children’s Behavioral Health Urgent Care. She advises state and national partners on ethical, person-centered approaches to distress. Through her community practice, Covenstead, she creates spaces for honest conversations about grief, survival, and the realities of being human.