Alumni Spotlight: April Kenney

“My plan was always to do college then graduate school right after, but life panned out differently,” shared Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program graduate April Kenney. “I’m actually thankful because I needed to live all that life before I was ready to be a therapist.”

April grew up in Ojai, California, which she describes as a “lovely, quaint town.” She is an only child and has always been very close to her parents. “They’re incredible, wise, loving humans,” she said proudly. “I feel so thankful to be their daughter.” April attended a Montessori school for Pre-K, then attended Ojai Valley School, a private school, from kindergarten through eighth grade. By high school, she was ready for a change and decided to attend the local public school, Nordhoff. “I’m so glad that I did,” she exclaimed, “because I still have some of those friendships today!”

WI Graduate and Current Student on Being Well Podcast

You're considering becoming a therapist, but you're aware that graduate school is a huge investment of time, money, and energy, so you want to make sure this work is the right fit for you. Short of holding your own informational interviews with several therapists, how can you determine whether to take the plunge?

Congratulations to Dr. Newman

Dr. Gilbert Newman, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Wright Institute, was honored with the Paul Nelson Award from the Council of Chairs of Training Councils this week at the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology 2023 Summer Meeting.

According to the Council of Chairs of Training Councils,"the Paul Nelson Award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through significant, long-term service to professional education and training, as evidenced by leadership in bringing together parties in a common purpose to address important problems. While many awards already recognize outstanding “achievement” in psychology, the Paul Nelson Award recognizes the spirit and model of collaboration established by Paul in his work with CCTC, a true statesman and diplomat."

Dr. Kupers in the News

An article by Dr. Terry Kupers, Professor Emeritus in the Wright Institute's Clinical Psychology Program, titled "It’s time to end solitary confinement behind bars" was recently published by Al Jazeera.

"The harm stems from social isolation and forced idleness. Human beings are social creatures who need human engagement and meaningful productive activities to sustain mental stability, healthy relationships and productive pro-social pursuits," Dr. Kupers wrote. "Forced isolation leads to a decimation of life skills, including the capacity to resolve differences peacefully, and that explains why there is less violence in the prisons when the use of solitary confinement declines."

Read more here.

Instructor Spotlight: Dr. Sahil Sharma

“Don't make up your mind too quickly - be open to experiences, be open to learning. I think the best therapists are the ones that are most comfortable with the fact that they don't know anything,” shared Dr. Sahil Sharma, PsyD, graduate of the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Program, adjunct professor in the Clinical Psychology Program, and new core faculty member in the Counseling Psychology Program. “The more comfortable you are with the idea that you actually don't know anything, the better therapist I think you'll be. Allow your clients to show you who they are instead of trying to make up your mind early, thinking you know them before you really do.”

Novel Published by Yael Goldstein-Love

Yael Goldstein-Love, a fifth-year student in the Wright Institute's Clinical Psychology Program and a graduate of the Counseling Psychology Program, published a new novel called The Possibilities.

"A new mother ventures into parallel worlds to find her missing child in this mind-bending novel that turns the joys and anxieties of parenthood into an epic quest." Read more about the book and order your own copy here.

People Magazine named it a Pick of the Week and said it was, "A powerful page-turner with deep wisdom." Good Morning America called it, "An original take on motherhood [that] taps into those primal feelings every nurturer feels—and fears."

Student Spotlight: Caitlin Firmage

“In one of the first classes I ever took at the Wright, Dr. Bharier shared the research finding that one of the best and most reliable predictors of outcomes in therapy is the therapeutic alliance or relationship (Bordin, 1979; Duncan and Miller, 2009; Horvath & Symonds, 1991; Martin, Garske, & Davis, 2000),” shared Caitlin Firmage, a student in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Program. “During a time when it felt like I had so much to learn and there were so many ways I could make possible mistakes as a new therapist, this discussion grounded me in remembering that, at its core, therapy is about building relationships with our clients based on respect, empathy, warmth, curiosity, and humility in the process.”

Instructor Spotlight: Nathan Greene, PsyD

“Learn to embrace being in a position of not knowing,” shared Nathan Greene, PsyD, a graduate of the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Program and current Case Conference instructor. “There’s so much pressure in academic settings to show what you know, but as psychologists, we have to get very comfortable with tolerating existing in those murky gray areas of not knowing. That's where we learn the most about ourselves and other people.”

Alumni Spotlight: Caitlin Crum

“Psychology has intrigued me since childhood, and I’ve always been curious to look at people’s identities, interpersonal relatedness, and the challenges that we experience from multiple vantage points,” shared Caitlin Crum, who graduated from the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program in 2010.

Caiti was born in New York and grew up in southeastern Wisconsin. “We lived in a rural community and I spent a lot of time running around outside,” she recalled. “We didn’t have any neighbors close by and I had miles of beach and woods to explore.” Caiti was an only child, but developed very close friendships in her childhood with people she now considers her “chosen siblings.” From first through twelfth grade, she attended a rigorous college preparatory school. “The autonomy I developed early on and deep trust and connection with the earth around me were foundational to informing my values and identity,” she shared.

Instituto Familiar de la Raza’s Clinical Internship Program Receives Grant from Kaiser Permanente

"IFR recently received a $75,000 grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation to help increase the clinical trainees’ stipends, provide resources for more clinician supervision, and support culturally based trainings in various modalities and venues...The interns come from institutions including San Francisco State University, U.C. Berkeley, and The Wright Institute for 2 semesters of classes and supervised on-the-job training. Competition is steep to intern at IFR."

Read more here.