Professor Jill Paquin Receives Award from the American Psychological Association

Jill Paquin, Ph.D., professor of graduate psychology at Chatham University, was recently awarded the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Group Dynamics Award by the American Psychological Association (APA).

This is a national, peer-selected award and one of the highest honors for psychologists teaching group dynamics.

Dr. Paquin, who’s taught at Chatham for 13 years, has trained hundreds of students who now practice group therapy. The award from the APA recognizes Dr. Paquin's integrative and innovative approach to teaching group counseling, where she draws on theories, research, and her own experiences in settings such as Veterans Affairs hospitals, community mental health organizations, college counseling services, and prisons.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award recognizing my teaching in the area of training group psychologists and group therapists,” Dr. Paquin said. “I am passionate about group therapy, and I think my students can feel that. As an academic and as a licensed psychologist, I get to wear a few different hats (researcher, journal editor, therapist, clinical supervisor, dissertation advisor), but getting to teach our students how to go out into the world and effectively facilitate therapy groups for others feels deeply personal and like a calling for me.”

At Chatham, Dr. Paquin teaches graduate courses in advanced research design, evidence-based practice, group counseling, and psychotherapy. She also supervises students' practical experiences.

She was nominated for the award by Joe Miles, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.