Blossom recognized for advancing rural mental health care in Maine
Jennifer Blossom (she/her/hers), assistant professor of psychology in clinical psychology at the University of Maine, received the 2025 Excellence in Rural Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to mental health care, research and advocacy in rural communities.
As principal investigator of the Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Lab (C-CAP), Blossom engages the community in research to improve access to mental health care for youth and families in rural and underserved areas. Her projects include the development of suicide prevention programs, interventions for childhood anxiety and depression and statewide training for primary care and mental health providers, such as her collaborative project to train graduate students and clinicians at UMaine in the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH).
“I’m honored and humbled to have received this award and recognition for my lab’s work aiming to improve rural mental health care through our research, community partnerships and advocacy,” Blossom said. “Most notably, I received this award because my incredible graduate students and close colleagues collaborated to nominate me — I’m incredibly grateful that I get to conduct values-aligned work with such amazing partners.”An educator and mentor, Blossom trains clinical psychology doctoral students and Master’s students in mental health fields to provide culturally responsive care to rural communities. She has helped expand clinical training and access to treatment across Maine, which has acute mental health workforce shortages. She also serves as co-director of the Psychological Services Center, contributes to public policy initiatives, serves on statewide advisory boards and collaborates with community organizations to advance equitable behavioral healthcare.