Dr. John Paul “JP” Jameson, professor in App State’s Department of Psychology and the recipient of a 2025 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service from the UNC System Board of Governors. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University faculty member Dr. John Paul “JP” Jameson has earned the 2025 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service from the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors. The award recognizes Jameson for his efforts to improve access to quality mental health care services for rural communities across Western North Carolina.
Established in 2007 and named for North Carolina’s 68th governor, the Holshouser Award recognizes faculty members across the UNC System’s 17 institutions who demonstrate sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in public service and outreach that improves the quality of life for North Carolinians. Jameson — a licensed clinical psychologist, researcher and professor of psychology — accepted the award, presented by UNC System President Peter Hans, at the board’s Feb. 26 meeting in Raleigh.
“Dr. Jameson embodies the spirit of the Holshouser Award, putting service at the center of his commitment to our university and our people,” said Hans. “He has improved the quality of mental health care for his fellow citizens in Northwestern North Carolina while inspiring his students to take up the mission of service.”
UNC Board of Governors Chair Wendy Murphy shared Hans’ sentiment, adding, “Dr. Jameson has a heart for service, and we couldn’t be prouder to honor him today. His work has had an impact on children and young people across the mountain region, and we are thankful for his dedication.”
For more than a decade, Jameson has focused on improving access to mental health care in rural Appalachia and advancing practical strategies to prevent firearm suicides. This has included the creation of essential clinical infrastructure in the region to ensure reliable, accessible crisis care for children and families, along with leadership in suicide prevention and intervention training and a strong dedication to mentoring the next generation of highly competent clinicians through his teaching and research at App State.
“Dr. Jameson’s dedication to bridging the gap in mental health care, particularly in rural areas in the western region of our state, has meant more people are living healthier lives today who might otherwise not have been, and more people are enjoying a greater quality of life," said App State Chancellor Heather Norris. "It’s hard to imagine a greater contribution to our state and region than that."
Jameson expressed his gratitude for the award — and for the opportunity to serve the Western North Carolina region.
“Public Service has always been central to my work and to my identity as an App State faculty member,” said Jameson. “The mission of our university is truly fulfilled when our teaching and research improve the lives of the people in the communities we serve.”
He added, “If we can affect a student’s trajectory now, even slightly, that change could result in a huge difference in where they land well into the future.”
Jameson is one of two recipients of the 2025 Holshouser Award. Dr. Carol Durham, professor emeritus in UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Nursing and former director of the school’s Education-Innovation-Simulation Learning Environment, was also recognized with the honor.
Dr. John Paul “JP” Jameson, App State professor of psychology and recipient of the 2025 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service, right, with App State Chancellor Heather Norris. Jameson accepted the award, which is conferred by the UNC System Board of Governors, during the board's Feb. 26 meeting in Raleigh. Photo courtesy of UNC System
School-based clinics offer assessment, therapy and crisis services
Collaborating with local county health departments, schools districts and community organizations, Jameson helped pioneer the development of school-based mental health clinics — or Assessment, Support and Counseling (ASC) Centers — in Alleghany and Ashe counties, which he works to sustain.
Through a university–community partnership, the centers provide evidence-based assessment, therapy and crisis services for K–12 students and family members and serve as training clinics for master’s- and doctoral-level clinical psychology students at App State. The centers have served hundreds of students over the years, Jameson shared, and have become trusted resources for families seeking help.
“The students we serve in these schools face many real challenges — from poverty, to instability at home, to limited opportunities. And in recent years, those difficulties have been further complicated by the pandemic and by the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Jameson said. “There is no intervention that can erase those realities, but we can work to equip students with two things that can help them navigate their world — skills to help them with their psychological well-being, and hope that the future can be better.”
As director of the ASC Centers, Jameson provides administrative, training and clinical leadership for comprehensive school-based mental health programs in rural Western North Carolina. He also delivers evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy to hundreds of rural adolescents, free of cost to their families. And, he has implemented systematic suicide risk assessment and prevention protocols.
Elizabeth Kerley Dunbar, ASC Center program coordinator and school mental health program coordinator at Ashe County High School, described Jameson as a great advocate for others and a consistent source of guidance and support.
“Dr. Jameson’s leadership directly benefits our most vulnerable children facing mental health challenges,” she said. “Serving in this capacity is a choice, which requires a significant amount of time and energy, and without him, we would lose this crucial resource.”
Jameson stressed that the work he and his graduate clinical trainees engage in through the ASC Centers — work that continues to make a positive difference in the lives of regional students and families — would not be possible without the support and collaboration of the districts’ student services personnel.
According to the NC Center on the Workforce for Health, 94 of the state’s 100 counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas, and North Carolina ranks 38th nationally in access to mental health care.
In this video, 2025 Holshouser Award recipient Dr. John Paul Jameson discusses his ongoing work to expand access to and improve the quality of mental health care services in rural Western North Carolina communities. App State Chancellor Heather Norris and assistant professor of psychology Dr. Crystal Taylor highlight the significant impact of Jameson’s work, which is ensuring more North Carolinians live healthier, fuller lives. Video courtesy of UNC System
Leading initiatives in crisis and suicide prevention
Parallel to his work establishing clinical infrastructure, Jameson has led statewide efforts to design and disseminate interventions that temporarily reduce access to lethal means among individuals at risk of suicide — equipping providers and communities across North Carolina with practical tools to save lives. This has resulted in widespread, measurable impact:
- Firearm suicide prevention: Jameson has led efforts to advance practical, community-specific strategies designed to prevent firearm suicides, a critical public health issue in rural North Carolina. The impact of these initiatives is documented in several scholarly publications, including the North Carolina Medical Journal, and Jameson has presented his findings to statewide audiences. As a National Rifle Association-certified Range Safety Officer, Jameson teaches health professionals about enhanced secure storage of firearms during times of increased risk to prevent tragedies.
Clinical training: Jameson is lauded by his former trainees for his profound influence in teaching sophisticated suicide prevention and intervention techniques. His expertise has ensured health care providers throughout the region — who often have heavy and varied caseloads — have the tools and strategies they need to help people who are at the highest risk.
Over the past decade, Jameson has delivered statewide training and consultation in suicide prevention and firearm means safety as a master trainer for the Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) program, which trains educators how to ask teens and their families about access to guns, opioids or other means of carrying out a suicide attempt. He serves as director of CALM America, the organization behind the program.
Dr. Kurt Michael, professor emeritus in App State’s Department of Psychology and senior clinical director of The JED Foundation, a New York-based mental health nonprofit, has collaborated with Jameson on a number of projects as part of what he described as their “joint mission to prevent suicide across all ages” — including the ASC Centers, which Michael founded during his time at App State.
In his nomination letter for Jameson, Michael, who received the Holshouser Award in 2014, highlighted Jameson’s work to scale CALM training throughout North Carolina, including the ASC Centers, and beyond. He noted that Jameson is considered to be one of the country’s foremost experts on the topic, especially as it relates to the prevention of firearm suicides.
Mentoring tomorrow’s clinicians
Jameson’s work with crisis and suicide prevention initiatives is deeply connected to his teaching and mentorship, creating opportunities for undergraduate and graduate App State students to engage directly in community-based research and service.
He teaches courses on suicide and self-injury, community psychology, history and systems of psychology, and foundations and ethics of psychotherapy, and his mentorship of App State students has included:
- supervising over 15 graduate and undergraduate students on community-engaged research projects;
- serving as a primary clinical supervisor for more than 30 graduate clinical trainees in App State’s clinical psychology doctoral program;
- guiding students in developing suicide prevention and crisis management initiatives within regional school systems; and
- chairing numerous student theses and dissertations focused on suicide prevention, firearm safety and rural mental health.
Jameson shared that watching the many graduate trainees who have worked alongside him grow into skilled, compassionate clinicians has been one of the greatest privileges of his career.
“Their commitment to serving individuals in underserved areas will strengthen the rural mental health workforce in North Carolina for many years to come.”
Dr. Crystal Taylor, assistant professor in App State’s Department of Psychology, serves as co-director of the ASC Centers. As one of Jameson’s nominators for the Holshouser Award, she shared that his supervision of App State graduate students completing practicums at the centers indirectly improves the lives of countless children.
She added, “Most importantly, he is shaping the future of clinical psychology by building a passion for and a strong commitment to providing mental health services in rural areas. His impact will extend beyond his years of teaching at the university.”
About Dr. John Paul Jameson
Jameson joined App State’s faculty in 2010. His awards for service, teaching and scholarship include the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Engagement Award (2020) and College of Arts and Sciences William C. Strickland Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2015).
His experience delivering essential supplies to isolated areas in Ashe County after Hurricane Helene underscored a vital insight — that mental health support begins with ensuring people’s most basic needs are met, he shared.
Jameson holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Georgia and earned both his master’s degree in psychology and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, an affiliate of the Baylor College of Medicine.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Help is also available through several on- and off-campus App State resources, including Counseling and Psychological Services (call 828-262-3180), Counseling for Faculty and Staff (call 828-262-4951) and the Appalachian Cares website, which offers health and safety information and resources — including hotlines and safety tips.
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About the Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology
Appalachian State University’s Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology serves more than 1,400 undergraduate majors seeking the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, as well as 90 graduate students across four graduate programs: experimental psychology (MA), industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management (MA), school psychology (MA/SSP) and clinical psychology (PsyD). Learn more at https://psych.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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