UMaine Clinical Psychology Program receives transformational gift from Judy Glickman Lauder Foundation

The University of Maine has received a transformational gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Foundation to support the efforts and initiatives of the Clinical Psychology Program to help meet the increasing demand for high-quality, evidence-based mental health providers in Maine.

The gift, made through the University of Maine Foundation, will allow UMaine’s accredited doctoral training program to increase its teaching, research and outreach capacity by nearly one-third. Two new faculty members and two doctoral students will be added to the program, and a professional staff member will be hired to coordinate field placements for undergraduate and graduate students statewide.

One of the faculty positions will bring additional expertise in the delivery of evidence-based interventions in health care and community settings; the other will focus on substance use and/or trauma — two critical areas of need in Maine and beyond.

UMaine’s nationally recognized and highly competitive Clinical Psychology Program in the Department of Psychology prepares students for careers combining research and practice. As part of their training, students provide psychological services to the public through UMaine’s Psychological Services Center on campus and at practicum sites in Maine and internships nationwide.

In addition to helping the department’s clinical graduate program expand its mental health services, the Glickman Lauder gift will facilitate the Psychology Department’s efforts to enhance career success for undergraduates through development of new courses, research opportunities and experiential internships.

“We are proud of our Clinical Psychology Program and its important work by faculty and students, and honored that the Judy Glickman Lauder Foundation has chosen to expand its impact with a generous donation,” said University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “The teaching, research and services this program provides are important and part of the mission of the state’s research university.”

The Glickman Lauder family donation to help improve the state’s mental health resources was inspired in part by the Harold Alfond Foundation’s $240 million challenge grant to the University of Maine System in 2020. 

“In providing the initial support needed to recruit high-quality faculty and doctoral students, our family hopes to inspire others to join us in making an investment in the long-term future of the program and in creating innovative solutions to meeting the mental health needs in Maine,” according to the chair of the Glickman Family Mental Health Philanthropy Committee, Dr. Allison He Glickman. “It is deeply rewarding for our family to take part in tackling the mental health crisis in Maine. No family is immune from the effects of mental illness. Our hope is to expand the number of psychologists produced in Maine and lay the foundation for undergraduates in the UMaine system to be inspired to go into the mental health field and make a difference in their local communities.”

UMaine’s program is the only American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology in Maine and was recently reaccredited for 10 years — the longest possible professional accreditation period granted to only the strongest programs. It is well-positioned to train the next generation of Maine’s clinical psychologists. 

“Thanks to the Glickman-Lauder family, we will be able to increase the UMaine Clinical Psychology Program’s capacity to meet Maine’s critical workforce shortage by expanding the clinical training program,” said professor Emily Haigh, director of UMaine clinical psychology training. “We are incredibly excited to be recruiting high-caliber faculty who will be in the classroom and working with students starting next fall. We think these hires will have a transformational impact on our graduate and undergraduate training as well as on the local communities.” 

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu