Meet the Team
Jennifer Blossom, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator; she/her)
Jen Blossom, Ph.D. is a Clinical Child Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maine. Dr. Blossom received her PhD in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!). She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital. As a member of the Clinical Faculty at UMaine, Dr. Blossom maintains an active program of research, mentors doctoral and undergraduate students, and teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Blossom has clinical expertise in youth internalizing problems, including anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention and maintains an active clinical role through consultation and training of primary care-based clinicians and community providers. Dr. Blossom’s program of research employs an implementation science approach to improve community capacity to identify and intervene for youth with mental health problems, including enhancing service delivery, efficiency, access, and engagement. In particular, Dr. Blossom’s research evaluates the effectiveness and implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) within pediatric primary care and community settings with the ultimate goal of realizing a public health impact of EBIs for common youth mental health concerns. When she’s not conducting research or working with students, Jen enjoys reading (especially mysteries/thrillers), hiking, walking, or running with her pups, knitting and crocheting.
Caroline Kelberman, M.A. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Caroline Kelberman (she/her), M.A., is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at the University of Maine. She received her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Dance from Skidmore College in 2017. Prior to joining the University of Maine, Caroline worked as a clinical research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital managing neuroimaging studies examining functional and structural MRI-based biomarkers of mood disorders and ADHD. Then, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at the University of Rochester Medical Center managing a NIMH-funded randomized control trial of a targeted brief intervention for recent suicide attempt survivors. At the University of Maine, Caroline’s research examines how cognitive-emotional factors, such as emotion regulation and social problem-solving, may relate to the onset and maintenance of internalizing disorders in youth. Outside of being a graduate student, Caroline enjoys self-care activities including hiking, reading, and searching for the best iced coffee in Maine!
Eleanor Schuttenberg, M.A. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Eleanor Schuttenberg, M.A., (she/her) is a fourth-year student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She received her B.S. in Clinical Psychology from Tufts University in 2018. Before joining the University of Maine, Eleanor worked at McLean Hospital where she assisted in MRI studies predicting the onset of substance use and clinical symptoms in adolescents, and evaluating the effects of a yoga intervention on adolescent depression. Simultaneously, she worked in an Acute Residential Treatment program working with adolescents struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors and/or substance use disorders. At the University of Maine, Eleanor’s research interests include risk and protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and prevention and intervention efforts for adolescents with internalized distress. In her free time Eleanor enjoys spending time with her dogs, traveling, hiking, running, and oil painting.
Kathryn B. Guajardo, M.A. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Kathryn (Katie) is currently a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Maine. She is mentored by Dr. Jennifer Blossom. She received her Masters degree in Psychological Sciences from The Catholic University of America and her B.A. in Psychology from Marymount University. She has clinical experiences working with a national nonprofit and a private practice providing in-home therapy for children, teens, young adults, and families. Katie‘s research interests include developmental psychopathology, familial intervention strategies, and mental health access and equity. When she is not studying or completing research, she enjoys walking her dogs, cooking and baking vegan food, and exploring Maine.
Aurora Green, B.F.A. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Aurora Green (she/her), B.F.A., is a second-year doctoral student in the Child Clinical Psychology PhD program mentored by Dr. Jennifer Blossom. She has a printmaking degree from the University of Iowa and has worked at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, MN in child/adolescent inpatient units from 2018 to 2023. From fall of 2021 to fall of 2023, Aurora worked as a post-baccalaureate project manager in the Research on Adolescent Depression (RAD) Lab with Drs. Kathryn Cullen and Bonnie Klimes-Dougan. She has coordinated several studies and some of her research interests include examining the relationship between eating disordered behaviors and suicidality in adolescents, adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury, intervention development to improve youth mental health and well-being, and sexual and gender diverse stress. In her free time, Aurora enjoys hanging out with her cats Ruby and Rosalie, embroidery, rock climbing, kayaking, cooking plant-based food, and fermentation.
Hannah Milius, M.S. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Hannah Milius is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Maine. She is under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Blossom. Hannah received her B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and just recently completed her Masters in Applied Clinical Psychology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. She has experience implementing trauma-focused therapy to youth and families through her internship at the Child Advocacy Center. Hannah’s research interests generally surround treatment accessibility and engagement, the impact of adversity on the family system, and developmental psychopathology. Outside of school, Hannah loves to run, cook, hang out with friends, and take time to explore the local area.
Puneet Parmar, B.A. (Graduate Student; she/her)
Puneet Parmar (she/her) is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Maine. Puneet completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. Prior to joining UMaine, Puneet worked as a research coordinator in the Compass Lab (social pediatrics) at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Advancing Research for Culturally Aligned Interventions Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. Broadly, Puneet is interested in researching mental health disparities and mental health interventions using implementation science approaches and community-based methods with the goal of improving access and treatment outcomes for underserved children, youth, and families. In her free time she likes to read, watch Netflix, travel, and try out new restaurants. She is looking forward to the international move and seeing all the cool things that Maine has to offer!
Eda Yavuz, B.A. (Research Assistant; she/her)
Eda Yavuz recently graduated with her Bachelor’s of Psychology at the University of Maine and she is minored in History. She is a lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab. She is an international transfer student from Istanbul, Turkey. Eda joined C-CAP Lab in the Spring semester of 2024. She wants to do research and extend her knowledge on eating disorders and body image for adolescence. She is currently working on her applications for graduate studies in clinical psychology. When she is not in the lab, she likes to take walks and do yoga.
Aalliyah Ferreira (Undergraduate Research Assistant; she/her)
Aalliyah Ferreira is a senior student at the University of Maine, currently working to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in exercise science. She started in the DREAM lab last fall as an initial jump into research, but she has enjoyed so much that it has inspired her to look into different careers after she graduates. She is in the Honors College and is currently working on finalizing her thesis idea. When she is not in lab, she enjoys cooking, spending time with her loved ones, and teaching herself new things!
Isabella Nichols (Undergraduate Research Assistant; she/her)
Isabella Nichols is an undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab and is working to earn her Bachelor’s of Psychology at the University of Maine Orono. Isabella has recently joined the C-CAP lab as her first research opportunity, she is excited to learn about surveys, data entry, and literature. In the future she is hoping to get her PhD in clinical psychology. In her free time Isabella enjoys being with family and friends, going on walks, and cooking.
Dianna Ingersoll (Undergraduate Research Assistant; she/her)
Dianna Ingersoll is an undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab and is working to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Maine with a minor in Mental Health and Rehabilitation. She started at the Social Interactions and Adjustment (SIA) Lab in the fall of 2023 and joined the C-CAP Lab in the spring of 2024. In the future she is planning on obtaining her PhD in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys spending time out in nature, going on walks, spending time with her loved ones and pets.
Alex Morgan (Undergraduate Research Assistant; she/her)
Alex Morgan is a senior undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab and is working to earn her Bachelors of Psychology at the University of Maine with minors in Neuroscience and Philosophy. She is also completing her program through the University of Maine Honors College. Alex joined the C-CAP lab fall of 2023 and enjoys the process of collecting and analyzing qualitative data. In the Culture Religion Attitudes and Beliefs (CRAB) Lab, Alex is in the final step of completing her thesis on the relationship between religion and prejudice. In the future, Alex plans to become a clinical psychologist, working as a therapist whilst also working in academia. In her spare time, Alex enjoys gardening, reading, and going for walks with friends.
Charlie Hall (Undergraduate Research Assistant; they/he)
Charlie Hall is an undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP lab and is working to earn their Bachelor’s in Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Maine with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They joined the lab over the summer of 2024, and they are excited to strengthen their skills in collecting and analyzing data. Charlie would like to further research and disseminate dialectical behavior therapy and find ways to educate young people about the skills that are developed through it. In the future, they are planning to get a PhD in clinical psychology. In their free time, Charlie enjoys reading, playing games, and spending time with their family and pets.
Kacey Pustizzi (Undergraduate Research Assistant; she/her)
Kacey Pustizzi is an undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab and is working to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Maine with a minor in Criminal Justice. Over the summer, Kacey interned at Evoke Wellness where she worked alongside case managers helping with client intake forms and administering client outcome measures to evaluate treatment efficacy. Kacey has recently joined the C-CAP lab making it her first research opportunity here on campus. She is excited to gain experience in this field and work alongside our diverse team. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, playing tennis, going on walks with her dogs, and spending time with her friends and loved ones.
Will Fournier (Undergraduate Research Assistant; he/him)
Will Fournier (he/him) is an undergraduate lab assistant in the C-CAP Lab and is working to earn his Bachelor’s in psychology with minors in both neuroscience and pre-medical studies. Will joined the C-CAP lab in the fall of 2024 and is excited to undertake this research opportunity. He is hopeful this lab will provide a venue to not only expand and refine his research skills, but more importantly contribute to such an influential area of need. Looking forward, Will plans to attend medical school with the overall goal of becoming a pediatric psychiatrist. Outside of an academic setting Will enjoys spending his free time with friends, going on nighttime runs, and catching up on his favorite television shows.
Collaborators
China Bolden, Ph.D. (she/her)
China Bolden Jarvis, Ph.D. graduated with a doctorate in clinical psychology from Seattle Pacific University after completing her residency at University of Washington School of Medicine. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Seattle Children’s Hospital where she focuses her time on researching was of increasing access and engagement in mental health treatment for youth. She is particularly interested in ways to engage underserved communities in addressing current mental health concerns among adolescents and creating effective step care programs for addressing trauma exposure. She is a member of the FAST Program at Seattle Children’s and runs a small private practice in the Seattle community.
Jessica Jenness, Ph.D. (she/her)
Dr. Jenness is a clinical child psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. She is the director of the Adolescent Adversity and Depression Intervention (AADI) lab that focuses on the study of novel implementation approaches to improve adolescent depression care.
Nat Jungbluth, Ph.D. (he/him)
Nat serves as a trainer, consultant, treatment developer and researcher for projects at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington’s School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center. Nat helps lead two statewide evidence-based practice training initiatives, the WA FAST Initiative (focused on integrated primary care) and WA CBT+ Training Initiative (supporting community mental health).
Casey Pederson, Ph.D. (she/her)
Casey Pederson, PhD, HSPP, is an Assistant Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine where she specializes in assessing and treating life-threatening behaviors in adolescents. Her primary passion lies in supporting justice-involved youth who are more likely to present with these high-risk behaviors, by crafting impactful assessment and intervention strategies. Dr. Pederson is an accomplished researcher and clinician having published in areas of adolescent lethal behaviors and intervention with justice-involved youth as well as having provided treatment and assessment services to youth and their families for nearly a decade.
Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D. (she/her)
Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her work focuses on brief behavioral treatments for an integrated primary care setting and she co-directs the First Approach Skills Training (FAST) program at Seattle Children’s Hospital Partnership Access Line. Her clinical and research interests also include parent-focused behavioral treatments and the association of ADHD with health risk behaviors, especially physical activity and screen use.
Pawllaborators
Rue, Milo, and Belle (Dr. Blossom’s dogs)
Bailey and Jamie (Katie’s dogs)
Ruby and Rosalie (Aurora’s cats)
Lexie and Stella (Eleanor’s dogs)
(Caroline’s Plants)
Max (Hannah’s cat)
