Alumni Spotlight: Shonali Shome
Shonali Shome, a 2023 graduate of the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program, grew up in a small town in Virginia, where her parents taught at Virginia Tech. “I’m an only child, but I have a large extended family on my dad’s side in India,” she explained. Shonali attended small public schools from first grade through high school. She enjoyed growing up in a small town and is still close to some of her elementary school friends. “Southwest Virginia was a very conservative area, but Blacksburg itself was more diverse and progressive because of the large university," Shonali recalled. “It was an interesting juxtaposition.”
For her undergraduate studies, Shonali attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. She graduated with a BA in International Relations and English and a minor in gender studies. “I studied English because I loved to read and write and International Relations because growing up in a bicultural family had given me a global outlook,” she explained. “I chose women’s/gender studies because I really appreciated the critical thinking and theory in those courses.”
In 2007, Shonali earned her JD from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, with additional training in refugee and humanitarian emergencies. She was inspired to pursue a law degree after doing social justice work in different non-profit organizations. “I found the activism and advocacy interesting, but I wanted to see what could be done with the power of the law behind the work.” Shonali was awarded a public interest scholarship for her studies at Georgetown, which was for students who wanted to continue doing social justice work after they graduated.
After graduating from Georgetown, Shonali spent nine years working as a human rights lawyer at AIDS-Free World, an international advocacy organization. In her role there, Shonali advocated for individuals living with HIV and AIDS who were experiencing human rights violations. The most impactful case she worked on during her time there took Shonali to Zimbabwe to document international crimes. “The government of Zimbabwe had unleashed a widespread and systematic campaign of rape and torture against members of the political opposition party,” she explained. Over the five years she worked on this case, Shonali traveled back and forth with teams of lawyers to Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, taking testimony from women to build an international criminal case that they would later pass on to the government of South Africa.
Over time, Shonali became increasingly concerned about the mental health impact on the women from whom she was taking testimony. “I’m really proud of that work, but it was very intense,” she reflected. “I really believe it was cathartic and empowering for some of the women to tell their stories and have them documented as part of a legal case, but I think it was re-traumatizing for others, so I started to feel some conflict about that.” Shonali began meeting with psychologists to discuss models of legal work that would incorporate mental health care. “I believed in the importance of the legal work and what it could accomplish in the future,” she explained, “But I also saw how limited any legal case would be in terms of providing healing for these women who had already endured so much.” This was when Shonali first began to consider a future career in the field of psychology for herself.
From 2010-2017, Shonali was also an adjunct professor at the
In 2021, Shonali enrolled in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program. Her interest in psychology that began during her time at AIDS-Free World had been augmented by the birth of her daughter in 2015 and the loss of her father in 2018. “After going through both of those experiences, I think my heart was just cracked open in a different way,” she explained. “I couldn’t muster the energy to return to law and I’d been interested in mental health for a while, so it felt like the time to actually do it.” Shonali attended open houses at the Wright Institute and was drawn to the cohort model and the idea of being part of a smaller community.
One of Shonali’s strongest memories from her time at the Wright was when they did their first case consultations as part of the Clinical Assessment and Measures course. “I was listening to other people’s cases and feeling my mind starting to work in a clinical way and I could see the same happening for my peers – everyone brought a unique and creative perspective to their clinical thinking,” she recalled. “It was at that moment that I knew I was going to really love this work.” Shonali’s biggest challenge during the program was navigating the huge amount of personal growth she experienced. “You go through so much psychological and personal growth during the program that you can’t always see while you’re in it,” she said. “You have to be gentle with yourself - it may feel like you’re getting disassembled and put back together, but a lot of growth and wisdom comes from it, even if it doesn’t always feel that way in the moment.”
Two professors who had a huge impact on Shonali were Professor Jennifer Dorsey and Dr. Mary Clarke. “Professor Dorsey was and continues to be an instrumental mentor for me,” she explained. “I appreciate the depth of attention and care she gives to her students, and her attachment-based style of therapy.” Dr. Clarke was also an invaluable support for Shonali, especially during her early days in the program, when she was worried about whether or not this work would be a good fit for her. “She was so reassuring and helped me see the ways that you can keep yourself from being knocked over by the trauma that you’re taking in,” she recalled. “She helped me see what a difference it makes to be part of the healing.”
For her practicum, Shonali worked at Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) in El Cerrito, CA, providing individual, family, and group counseling for elementary school students. “I find it so hopeful to work with young children,” she explained. “They are so primed for joy and connection, and if you can work with the whole family system, it can have a big impact for everyone.” What drew Shonali to BACR in particular was their training director, Keith Burrell, who puts so much care into their training program. “I prioritized supervision because it’s such an opportunity to truly get better as a clinician,” she recalled. “I was incredibly lucky to work with Keith and with Lili Suzuki as my supervisors that first year.” After graduating from the Wright Institute in 2023, Shonali continued at Bay Area Community Resources for another two years. “As I progressed in my clinical work, I was able to do more family systems work and I love that piece of it,” she explained.
For the last three years, Shonali has been a teaching assistant for Professor Dorsey’s Multicultural Awareness and Sensitivity course in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program. “I feel like it’s the most important class at the Wright and it's such an honor to be a part of that process, watching students go through evolution of the class and supporting them where I can,” she reflected. "I learn a lot from observing how Professor Dorsey teaches the content and holds students in the process.”
Outside of her busy work schedule, Shonali spends most of her time with her partner, her ten-year-old daughter, and her close friends. She also loves to read, hike, and be near the ocean. Shonali enjoys traveling and has visited Hawaii, Thailand, and Europe in recent years. She and her partner recently took their daughter to Mexico and they hope to take her to India in the near future.
In 2024, Shonali began working in private practice in Berkeley, CA, supervised by Professor Dorsey, providing individual, family, and couples therapy. She is really enjoying private practice work and hopes to continue to balance it with teaching. “One thing I love about this field is that there are so many ways to learn and to grow in different directions,” she shared. “I love doing family work and working with children, but there are so many other paths and I’m open to evolving in different directions.”