ICS Colloquium: Jessica Magidson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland

Resource Presentations beforehand by:

Amanda Nugent, Senior Director of Development for Campus Institutes, Office of Advancement

Donna K. Axel, Senior Director, Research Development, Research and Innovation Office (RIO)

Title: How Nature Can Help Address the Mental Health Treatment Gap

Abstract:

Globally, over 80% of people in need of mental health interventions do not receive care. Over the past decade, my team has shown that we can train people with lived experience and community health workers to expand access to care. Yet, no matter how many people we train, there will never be enough providers. Further, providers are facing high levels of burnout. What if one of the most scalable solutions is not in a clinic, but actually right outside of our doors? Humans spend 93% of our lives indoors, despite decades of research demonstrating mental and physical health benefits of nature exposure. Through processes proposed in attention restoration theory, nature exposure can shift cognition, reduce burnout, and improve well-being. In this talk, I will share more about a one-year sabbatical award funded by the Association for Psychological Science (APS), which allows me to spend this year in Boulder advancing the field of nature and mental health. The sabbatical award aims to bridge evidence-based mental health interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, with the benefits of nature exposure to improve patient and provider well-being. I will share new initiatives in this area of nature-informed cognitive behavioral therapy and opportunities for collaboration. Ultimately the goal of this work is to shift norms of practice for cognitive behavioral therapy providers to leverage the natural world—for themselves, their patients, and the environment.

Bio:

Dr. Jessica Magidson is a tenured Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Director of the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR), and the Director of IN-PLACE: An Interdisciplinary Network for Place-Based Learning, Action, & Community-Engaged EnvironMental Health—a newly launched program to advance nature and mental health at University of Maryland. Dr. Magidson has been the PI of over $25 million dollars in NIH funding, largely from NIDA, NIMH, and Fogarty and is currently the PI of seven NIH grants (5 R01s, an R24, and an R21). She has over 160 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters focused on global mental health, addiction, and implementation science. She is currently on sabbatical for the 2026-2027 academic year at CU Boulder, focused on advancing the field of nature and mental health through an Association for Psychological Science (APS) Sabbatical Award. She is trained as a clinical psychologist and practices as a nature-informed cognitive behavioral therapist. She received her bachelors degree in Psychology and Spanish summa cum laude from Dartmouth College, her PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of Maryland, and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in behavioral medicine and global psychiatry.