Before joining CooperRiis, Sandi worked as an outpatient therapist focusing on depression, anxiety, and trauma. She started her mental health career at a residential facility for children and adolescents with significant trauma, where she served as a case manager, residential supervisor, and trauma therapist. She has worked in various residential programs for both children and adults and has partnered with domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers, and programs supporting survivors of sex trafficking.
I feel privileged to support others on their healing journeys, whether in small or significant ways, and find the holistic, community-focused approach at CooperRiis to be truly fulfilling, especially while living on the farm, surrounded by nature, creativity, animals, and caring people.
Her interest in mental health recovery started while working as a special education teacher with at-risk youth, where she discovered that many “behavior problems” were actually unmet needs, motivating her to explore the link between the environment and mental health, as well as her interest in trauma work.
Sandi earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Florida State University and completed her master’s in mental health counseling at Walden University. She has extensive training in childhood trauma, including the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) with Dr. Bruce Perry, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma processing through the North Carolina Child Treatment Program (NC-CTP).
In her free time, Sandi enjoys being outdoors, exploring Western North Carolina, and embracing everything CooperRiis Farm has to offer, including time with the animals. Music plays a key role in her self-care, and she is interested in the therapeutic benefits of drumming and drum circles.