Student Spotlight: Adam Brown

"I think that most of us who are drawn to this field simply want to help people, and do good work for society. That ethos certainly reflects how I want to live my life."

Midway through his second and final year of the Counseling Psychology program, Adam Brown came to the Wright Institute in 2019 after nearly a decade working as a journalist in the diabetes field. Brown, who has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since he was 12 years old, has a passion for helping others who also live with the condition.

"I've always had a love of helping people cope with this chronic disease," Brown says. With an interest in the field of psychology and some encouragement from a few diabetes psychologists he knew, he decided to make a change and pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology. When looking into programs in the Bay Area, the Wright Institute stood out as a good fit.

Counseling Psychology Program Faculty Host "Our Relationship with White Supremacy" Panel Discussion

On January 22nd, the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program core faculty hosted "Our relationship with white supremacy: Faculty perspectives from target and non-target membership," a webinar in which faculty shared their experiences with white supremacy with Counseling Psychology program students. Faculty panelists discussed their own experiences with multicultural/diversity courses that they took in their graduate careers, and shared what they learned, what they didn't, and how they continue to engage knowledge, skills and advocacy related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The event was the first in a three-part series; in the following parts, faculty members will discuss the concept of allyship and beloved community, and talk with students about the themes of the series.

Courtney Miller Wins 2020 Alameda County Psychological Association Dissertation Award

This month, Wright Institute Clinical Psychology student Courtney Miller was awarded the 2020 Alameda County Psychological Association (ACPA) Graduate Student Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “Bridging the Gap Between the Altar and the Therapist’s Office.” “I am honored to receive the 2020 ACPA Graduate Student Dissertation Award,” says Miller, “and I am thrilled to be able to use this award to further my research to impact my community.”

Miller’s study, “Bridging the Gap Between the Altar and the Therapist’s Office: A Needs Analysis for a Church-Based Mental Health Program from the Perspective of Pastors and Afican American Young Adult Congregants,” was designed to assess the attitudes, preferences, experiences, and needs for a church-based mental health program.

Surf Circle Adapts to 2020

When Surf Circle held its first session in February of 2019, founders Nathan Greene, PsyD, and Adam Moss, PsyD, were excited to hold in-person sessions with groups of adolescents navigating issues in their lives. After a successful first year, Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program graduates Greene (class of 2017) and Moss (class of 2016), alongside their former mentors Christopher Arrillaga and Roberto Lascano have had to change their strategy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alumni Spotlight: Paige Pires de Almeida, Class of 2015

“I feel so proud of the contributions I can make to help people reach their goals or create a more meaningful life,” says Paige Pires de Almeida, LMFT. “I feel so much gratitude that I’m able to do work that I love.”

A 2015 graduate of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology program, Pires de Almeida has spent the past seven years in the mental health field following careers in both the legal industry and technology/video game industry. This summer, she became an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology program, and also teaches at Dominican University’s Counseling Psychology program.

Student Spotlight: Allie Jackson

A few weeks before her graduation from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, Allie Jackson is reflecting on her past two years while looking ahead to her career as a clinician. "I don't know if it's possible for a student to finish this program as the same person they were when they started," she says. "I feel like I've grown immensely in the past two years."

A Southern California native, Jackson studied Psychology and Spanish at San Diego State University. She applied her studies into on-campus experience in the social psychology research lab. "That experience with research was one of the primary reasons why I wanted to go into psychology," she says.

Students from ReModel Minority Group present "No More Silence"

Students from the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program's ReModel Minority Group collaborated with various community members to create "No More Silence", a message of Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) mental health awareness. The students spoke alongside contributors from San Mateo County Health Department's Chinese Health Initiative (CHI), the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Mateo County, and other community members. Third-year student and ReModel Minority member Shiyu Zhang, who served as a co-chair for CHI, helped to organize the efforts.

Theopia Jackson, PhD '95 joins Congressional Black Caucus panel

Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program alum and Association of Black Psychologists president Theopia Jackson, PhD, participated in a panel hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday, July 24. The conversation, entitled "Black Mental Health in 2020: Speak Up and Speak Out," was hosted by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and discussed mental health issues facing the Black community brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd.

The Wright Institute Clinic Launches COVID-19 Support Line

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wright Institute Clinic has launched the COVID-19 support line. The support line is offering eight free counseling sessions via video conferencing or telephone for those affected most by the pandemic - healthcare providers, caregivers, parents, food services personnel, and more.

The line is staffed by Wright Institute Clinical staff as well as Wright Institute students currently completing practicum training. As some practicum sites have temporarily closed or limited their services, some students have had fewer opportunities to gain the hours of clinical experience that are required to pursue licensure after graduation. Working on the COVID-19 support line enables them to gain that experience while helping especially impacted and vulnerable populations. Student clinicians have already been assigned clients, and services have begun.

Alumni Spotlight: Ian Vianu, Class of 2014

"I don't think there's ever been a better time in our history to get into the mental health field," says Ian Vianu. "There are so many different ways to help people, and those different ways are becoming more widely accepted every year."

A 2014 graduate of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, Ian Vianu has spent his career exploring different ways to help people. An East Bay native, Vianu studied psychology at UC Santa Cruz before working as a research assistant around the Bay Area. When deciding upon a graduate program for psychology, he wanted to stay local and find a program that would allow him to work while taking classes.