With over two decades of experience designing and delivering practice-focused education for professionals and families, and providing program evaluation services for child and family service organizations, our team is committed to improving policy and practice for children, youth, and families.
We offer practice-based solutions that highlight critical components of permanency and healthy development, especially those who have experienced adversity and are at-risk for poor outcomes.
We aim to equip professionals and families with knowledge and strategies to support children and youth permanency so they may have opportunities for healthy relationships, connections, and positive outcomes.
We achieve this through the following methods:
Providing professional development and training programs for policymakers, professionals, communities, and families.
Providing comprehensive program evaluation services to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of child- and family-serving programs, with an eye toward continuous quality improvement.
Offering solutions grounded in evidence-based best and promising practices to enhance the lives of children, youth, and families.
Accessing the expertise and skills of our talented associates who believe it is critical to both inspire and support professionals who are committed to helping the most vulnerable among us.
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Meet Our Team
Dr. Henry received her master’s and doctoral degrees in developmental psychology from Clark University in Worcester, MA. She is the lead author of Adoption in the United States: A reference for families, professionals, and students. This comprehensive resource has a particular focus on the medical and behavioral health needs of children who were adopted. Additionally, she has authored several peer-reviewed publications and has appeared on various media programs, such as the Today Show, for her expertise in adoption and foster care. Dr. Henry is recognized nationally for her expertise with the strategic implementation, training, coaching, and practice of TCOM (e.g., Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths; Family Advocacy and Support Tool). TCOM practice aims to foster data-informed decision making and quality improvement activities for multiple levels of child and family-serving systems.
Before her current position, Dr. Henry served as Director of the Office of Foster Care and Adoption at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She led a multidisciplinary team who developed and administered educational programs and provided evaluation and consultation services for child welfare and children’s mental health providers.
She has multiple personal connections to adoption that sensitize her to its complexity and the many experiences of the members of the adoption constellation.
Martha J. Henry, PhD
PRESIDENT
Michael J. McManus, LICSW
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Michael J. McManus, M.S.W., LICSW, is a Senior Associate at MJ Henry and Associates, Inc. Mr. McManus received his master's degree in social work from Springfield College in Springfield, MA. Prior to joining MJ Henry & Associates, he was the Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the Office of Foster Care and Adoption, where he lead the team responsible for the re-design of the Massachusetts foster parent preparation program. In addition, Mr. McManus collaborated in the CANS certification in Massachusetts, training and certifying over 10,000 people and aiding in the creation of additional CANS in Practice supports. He has also worked for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) at multiple levels.
Mr. McManus' background in social work and his experience as a foster and adoptive parent inform his work in developing adoption and foster care curricula and training for families and professionals in a variety of fields. Mr. McManus is also an adjunct faculty in the Sociology and Psychology departments at Becker College, as well as a seasoned clinician specializing in adolescent issues, family work, and GLBTQ issues. He owns and runs his own private practice in Massachusetts serving children, youth, and families impacted by trauma and loss.
DID YOU
KNOW?
2.5% of children in
the United States
joined their families through adoption (ChildStats.gov).
According to data compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services, widespread reforms have resulted in a 20% drop in the number of children in foster care in the
United States.
More than 400,000 children and youth are living in foster care in the US.
— Alfie Kohn
Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making.
They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously.
Decades of Experience
QUALITY, INTEGRITY, AND EXPERTISE
Jennifer Foulkes Coakley, PhD
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Jennifer Foulkes Coakley, Ph.D., is a Senior Associate with MJ Henry & Associates, Inc. Dr. Coakley received her doctoral degree in social welfare from the University of California at Berkeley, and her master's degree in social work from California State University at Fresno. Dr. Coakley worked as a Research Associate for the Center for Adoption Research (later named Office of Foster Care and Adoption) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she led the evaluation of a federally funded training program that focused on permanency for adolescents within the child welfare system. While at U.C. Berkeley, Dr. Coakley led a study on adoption stability at the Center for Social Services Research and participated in research related to the implementation of concurrent planning services in California.
In addition to research and evaluation experience, Dr. Coakley has 10 years of direct practice experience as a public child welfare social worker. While she has worked in all facets of the child protective continuum, the majority of her direct practice career was focused in the area of adoption from foster care. This combination of direct practice experience and research expertise allows Dr. Coakley to have a comprehensive understanding of child welfare issues and the challenges faced by those working in the field.
Cassandra Perry, MS, CGC is an Associate with MJ Henry & Associates, Inc. Ms. Perry received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Brandeis University. She is a certified genetic counselor and has held research positions at the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Office of Foster Care and Adoption and Boston Children's Hospital. In addition to her work with MJ Henry & Associates, Inc., she is currently a Project Manager at Harvard Medical School.
Ms. Perry was the first to recognize the deficiency of adoption education for genetic counselors and, consequently, has worked to increase adoption awareness among health professionals for more than 15 years. She has published two articles on adoption of children with disabilities and the need for increased adoption awareness among health professionals. She has also been invited to speak at various national and regional conferences across the country, including the 2009 NSGC Annual Education Conference, and has been a thesis advisor for several genetic counseling graduate students focusing on adoption-related studies. Her work is founded in the belief that patients must have adequate and accurate information about all of their options in order to make a truly informed decision.