Student Spotlight: April Parker

April Parker, a second-year student in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program, was born and raised in Northern California. She lived with her mother, who was a single mom, and her older brother. “My mother worked very hard and was doing the best she could to take care of two young children,” she reflected. “A lot of our social safety nets were already weakened at that time and there were a lot of ways our family fell through the holes.” Despite the family’s personal and financial struggles, April remembers a childhood filled with laughter and fun. “I was taught from a young age how to laugh in the face of life's most difficult challenges,” she explained. “That's a lovely piece of my childhood that I feel really grateful for.”

Dr. Virgil Moorehead, a 2014 graduate of the Wright Institute's Clinical Psychology (PsyD) Program, is the 2026 recipient of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. Dr. Moorehead was recognized with his colleague Amy Mathieson, LCSW, for their work serving youth mental health at the Two Feathers Native American Family Services. The Wright Institute applauds their work and congratulates them for their commitment and service to their community.

For more information please use the link below:
https://irvineawards.org/award-recipient/moorehead-and-mathieson/

Staff Spotlight: May Zahm

“I don't have dreams of grandiosity. I just want to be able to take care of myself and my loved ones and enjoy each day,” explained May Zahm, the program coordinator for the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program. “I'm trying not to take for granted what I already have, how blessed I am, and how much I've established for myself.”

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Krystal Stanley

Dr. Krystal Stanley, a core faculty member in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program, spent the first fifteen years of her life in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lived with her parents and three younger siblings. When Dr. Stanley was fifteen, her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her father’s job in the pharmaceutical field. They moved again to Fort Dodge, Iowa for her senior year of high school. “It seems like it would be a big deal, but it didn’t feel that way,” she reflected. “I think I was always up for an adventure!”

Dr. Pratima Pathania, a 2021 graduate of the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program, was born in India and moved to Hollister, California when she was twelve years old. Her father was a fashion designer in India and transferred to the US for work. Several years later, he was able to bring Dr. Pathania, her brother, and her mother here as well. “My mom was technically a single mom for four or five years, which was tough,” she recalled. “We had family there, but it's not like having two parents in the home - she was responsible for taking care of so many things.” Moving to the US as a preteen was very challenging for Dr. Pathania. Although she already spoke English, adjusting to American English and the education system here took some effort. “My parents were immigrants and they could not really help me or guide me in the educational world because they didn't know this system,” she reflected.

Obituary: Dr. Charles Alexander

Dr. Charles "Chuck" Alexander, former dean of the Wright Institute's Clinical Psychology Program, passed away at home on February 18th, 2026.

Chuck was a great leader and a strong advocate for students and faculty alike. He developed many friendships with people at the Wright Institute and many of the current administrators at the Wright are indebted to Chuck for his leadership and guidance during his years at the school. Chuck also came to the Wright Institute as renowned for his deep knowledge, understanding, and skills regarding the detection and treatment of chemical dependency.

In keeping with Chuck’s wishes, please consider a contribution to Delancey Street Foundation in lieu of flowers.

Read the full obituary here.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Adrienne Rosenberg

“A combination of my temperament and my Jewish and Queer identities has made me generally skeptical of authority and interested in people that redefine the good life outside of dominant social norms,” shared Dr. Adrienne Rosenberg, a 2020 graduate and current faculty member in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Program. “You can draw a direct line between that, my dissertation on clinical failure, and my love of working with the neurodivergent, queer, immigrant, and disabled communities.”

Student Spotlight: Emily Angstreich

“I think back to my high school days when it was a big deal for me to talk about my depression and anxiety openly, then I think about how much harder it is to be open and honest about more stigmatized diagnoses,” shared Emily Angstreich, a fourth year student in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program. “I believe the key to therapy isn’t to focus solely on symptoms, but to witness all the complexities of a person; I want to help people who are misunderstood become understood.”

Congratulations Dr. Shapiro!

Dr. Lauren Shapiro, a professor in the Wright Institute's Clinical Psychology program from 2014-2021, wrote a screenplay called "Still Life" that is premiering at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival on February 7th.

The movie, which is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story based on Dr. Shapiro's own experience of losing her mother to leukemia as a teenager, was filmed in the East Bay and stars local actors. Dr. Shapiro left her position at the Wright Institute to pursue the dream of creating this film and we congratulate her on her success!

Click here to view the trailer and sign up for updates about the film.

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.”