Eileen Cooley ’78
Alumna Eileen Cooley-MS Counseling, College of Education ‘78 first became interested in thoughts and feelings associated with both retirement and preschool development during grad school at the UO.
Enrolling in counseling classes that ranged from Adlerian theory and child development to a course on death and dying, Cooley learned about both ends of the spectrum and the phases in-between. Now, more than 30 years later, her work reflects this developmental perspective. After graduating from the College of Education, Cooley earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Emory University and is now employed as a Professor of Psychology at Agnes Scott College and a private psychologist in metropolitan Atlanta. She is embarking on a study to understand the impact of retirement on our lives. However, unlike most research targeting the retiree, Cooley’s research focuses on the spouses or partners who also must respond to this milestone. Specifically, her study gives a voice to the many women who have adjusted (or are still adjusting!) to the retirement of their husbands or partners.
When couples retire at different points of time, gender differences may be evident. Historically, women often retire earlier than men or choose to retire when their partner retires. When women remain employed after their partner retires, some men report dissatisfaction if they lose status as primary financial provider while others report boredom, especially if their partners have organized their social life. Expectations regarding the division of labor for household tasks also may change. The women in their lives must then adjust to their adjustment! As the large number of women in the workforce is, historically, a more recent phenomenon, actively employed women faced with a spouse who stops working are an understudied group.
Participate in this confidential, on-line study. If you are a woman working at least 30 hours/week with a spouse or partner (with whom you live) who has voluntarily retired from full-time work and now works less than 20 hours/week, you qualify. Email Cooley at ecooley@agnesscott.edu to receive the on-line survey. If selected, you can earn $20.00 for your participation.
Preschool Challenge-Why Do My Feet Say YES when My Head Says NO?
At the opposite end of the lifespan, Cooley has tackled the complicated issue of how we might help young children to make wiser decisions. Although we may think of young children leading simpler lives, in fact their daily routines are filled with internal dilemmas. Using the natural page separation of a book to depict the two sides of inner conflicts, colorful illustrations demonstrate seven common situations that children face. This book addresses some situations when children are fearful of something they really want to do and other situations when they want to do something but know they should not. Four types of solutions help the younger set manage these dilemmas; building a step for something they fear, finding an alternative, seeing the positive, and learning to wait. However, parents and educators are encouraged to help children find their own solutions. See this new children’s book at http://www.headlinekids.com/index.php/2/45
As you can tell from these two disparate projects, classes taken many years ago at the University of Oregon continue to inspire Cooley to tackle lifespan challenges from pre-school to retirement. “As educators and counselors, we seek to appreciate and understand the complexities of each phase of life.”