Official Interview: Sandra Cooper

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Official Interview: Sandra Cooper

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Today's Chat with Sarah features Sandra Cooper, RN, LPCMH author of Trauma to Triumph.

To view the official review, click here.

To view the book on Amazon, click here.

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1. When you aren't working as a counselor or writing a book, what do you do?

Hah, I counsel my husband and I read books. No, seriously, I love working out, mostly yoga these days and just being outside. I recently planted a butterfly garden in my yard. I feed the birds, hummingbirds, and squirrels, so I’m frequently outside putzing around or just sitting and enjoying!

2. Did you choose your profession or did it choose you?

It definitely chose me. I had been working at a law firm as an RN, which I loved, but after five years I had begun to get antsy. I needed more personal contact or patient care. I ended up leaving administrative work to become a hospice RN. It was there that I discovered my innate ability to assist people emotionally and spiritually to find their way to a peaceful and accepting space. It was during that time that I returned to school to pursue studies to become a Counselor. The rest is history.

3. In your book Trauma to Triumph, you share your own issues, hurts, and life lessons. When and why did you decide to take your experiences and put them in book form?

Growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s women were seriously beginning to challenge the status quo. I grew up in a traditional home and in the Catholic faith, both of which were screaming ‘patriarchy rules’. I wanted to scream back but had been silenced by the powers that be. It was while peeling back the layers of my life, working out the pain, and relinquishing distorted messages, that I reclaimed my voice. I wrote out my feelings and thoughts in journals for many years. I considered authoring a book about 10 years ago. Authoring this book was my way of screaming from the mountain tops. It was also my way of shutting the door on a past that no longer has power in my life. The book was very personal, and it was me refusing to be silenced any longer. If someone finds value in my voice, then all the better.

4. You're an RN and a licensed counselor. How did that prepare you for being an author?

As an RN and a Counselor, I have been privy to the struggles of others. I show up in ways that allow for healing, physically and emotionally. That said, I became aware of how many I identified with. Others that struggled with authority and man-made rules that kept them bound up in some way. I wanted them to know that they can learn how to trust an inner authority. In Trauma to Triumph, I write very similarly to how I speak to people: very intimately and personally, empowering and encouraging.

5. Which is easier, being a psychotherapist or writing a book?

Being a psychotherapist!! Hands down! Being a psychotherapist comes naturally. It’s more of who I am than what I do. Sitting with individuals, I can easily identify what they need and how to show up. I can see their response to what I am saying and doing. Authoring a book was writing to this unseen population and that challenged me. It is much easier to be misunderstood and I have no ability to respond to that. It feels much more vulnerable.

6. The book discusses your "faith in the unseen." With hints of spiritualism and mysticism, would you consider this book pertinent for a specific audience?

I think it can be especially pertinent to those who have grown up in rigid religions and faith systems that left them fearful and excluded. All religions are man-made. Spirituality is who we are beneath everything we think we are. If God is a fear-mongering, exclusive, judging, egotistical maniac that needs obedience and worship…well that is no God at all. If you can step outside the box to consider a universal “God” that is nothing but LOVE, well then you might appreciate my journey. We are driven by fear of love. I went from fear to love. It was a huge transformative process that was amazing and liberating.

7. What's the number one takeaway that you hope readers learn if nothing else?

That they are so much more than they can ever know. That they are loved, always, just as they are, regardless of what society tells them.

8. Was this your only foray into writing, or is there another book on the way?

At the moment, this is it! I am not saying that won’t change somewhere down the line, but from where I am currently sitting, there is not another book on the way.

I like to end on some fun questions.

9. What makes you laugh?


#1 - My husband and his sweet, sometimes silly ways. Since I have gravitated to the heavier side of life, he takes great pleasure in making me laugh. After all these years, he still catches me by surprise and brings a chuckle!

10. If you could choose only one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

WOW! Let’s see. Since carbs are often the enemy in current dietary standings, I’ll choose pasta, any kind, with sauteed garlic, onions, and vegetables. Oh, and let’s not forget the Italian garlic bread…and the red wine. I’m assuming that my weight won’t change regardless of how much of this I eat. That is the way this works, right?

11. What's the most interesting place you've visited?

I would have to say Egypt. It wasn’t my favorite place to visit, by any means, but it was the most interesting. They have such a different way of thinking and living. It gave me a better perspective on non-western cultures and challenges, especially for women and girls.

12. What housework do you hate doing most?

Dusting. Yes, dusting. I’d rather clean a toilet!!
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
Jamina Alonto
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Post by Jamina Alonto »

The book is amazing! Thankyou for the interview. 🥰
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Chandelier Eden
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Post by Chandelier Eden »

I also hate dusting 😪😪. I just keep coughing and sneezing everywhere. Nice interview, I enjoyed every bit of it, especially the part that had to do with the author helping people.
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Post by Destined8 »

Very insightful and interesting interview~ look forward to reading the book!
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