Alumni Spotlight: Veronica Cruz-Martinez, AMFT

After a major life change like finding a new job, or moving across the country, it can be difficult for many people to adjust.

Not so for Veronica Cruz-Martinez, who graduated from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program in 2015.

"I just moved to New Jersey," she says nonchalantly. "Just a few weeks ago, actually." Cruz-Martinez, who grew up in the Bay Area and had never lived outside of California until February, now works at New Jersey City University (NJCU) in Jersey City. She recently landed a position as a counselor in the NJCU Counseling Center, working face-to-face with college students on a variety of issues.

Increasing Access to Support for Patients with Dementia

Left to right: Lama Alameddine, PsyD with Alzheimer's Association staff member Mandi Gundersen

Congratulations to Lama Alameddine, PsyD, a 2014 graduate of the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program, for receiving the Alzheimer's Association 2018 Community Partner of the Year Award!

Wright Institute Faculty Visit New York for Columbia Winter Roundtable

Each February, the Columbia University Teachers' College annual Winter Roundtable calls together psychologists, therapists, professors, and social workers to discuss cultural issues ranging from immigration and racial justice to community-based trauma. Now in its 36th year, the Winter Roundtable is "the longest running continuing professional education program in the United States devoted solely to cultural issues in psychology, education, and social work."

Six Wright Institute faculty members presented at this year's Winter Roundtable, held at Columbia University in New York City on February 22 and 23. The theme of this year's gathering was "Rise Up," tackling issues in racial justice, immigration, social activism, education, unity, and psychology.

A new mental health jail vs. community mental health treatment

"We have won a tremendous victory at the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors," says Clinical Program faculty member Terry Kupers, MD. On February 12, the Board "voted not to build a 'mental health jail' to replace the dilapidated Men's Central Jail that has to be demolished."

Instead, the Board of Supervisors plans to move forward with building a new mental hospital.

Students Present Poster at 2019 National Multicultural Conference and Summit

Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program students Melanie Schug, Kristi Guan, and Pratima Pathania presented posters at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference and Summit. The conference was held January 16-18 in Denver, Colorado. The posters, which were created by members of Wright Institute Students of Color (WISOC) and the White Privilege Accountability Group (WPAG), describe the groups' collaborative efforts to affect multicultural change at the Wright Institute.

The WISOC poster, entitled "Advocating for multicultural change from the perspective of Students of Color," was co-authored by Yani Chu-Richardson, Kristiana Guan, Iris Leung, Pratima Pathania, and Shiyu Zhang.

Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Dorsey Strives for Progress

"A lot of school-based therapy, from a systemic standpoint, gets pushed towards behavioral issues," says Jennifer Dorsey, a 2017 graduate of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program. "I want to re-focus on an approach that is deep enough to really help our clients."

Shifting the Conversation: From Toxic Masculinity to Male Fragility

How do you move forward with no real road map? That's the question facing men in search of a new definition of masculinity, one that rejects the precepts of toxic masculinity. "We haven't yet found a way to create or sustain on a mass scale less toxic or even healthy masculinity," says Raymond Buscemi, Psy.D., core faculty member with The Wright Institute Master's in Counseling Psychology Program.

Speaking the Unspoken: Dr. Stephanie Chen on the Modern Supervisory Relationship

On February 2, The Psychotherapy Institute will host the 2019 Supervisors' Symposium, featuring a keynote presentation from Wright Institute full-time faculty member Stephanie Chen, PhD.

For over 40 years, the Psychotherapy Institute (TPI) has provided continuing education and advanced training to psychotherapists, as well as as affordable psychotherapy to Bay Area residents. TPI's Supervision Study Program helps clinicians develop their skills, theoretical grounding, and personal authority as culturally sensitive relational, psychodynamic supervisors.

Surfing as Therapy: Introducing Surf Circle

Surf therapy is a relatively recent addition to the mental health landscape. Best known for its use by the U.S. Navy, it is most often used to work with veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Two graduates of the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program, Adam Moss, PsyD (class of 2016) and Nathan Greene, PsyD, (class of 2017) have partnered with two of their mentors to launch Surf Circle. The four psychologists are blending the surf therapy model with more traditional group therapy to provide a unique experience for adolescent boys and young men in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Student Spotlight: Ananya Rajaraman, first year Diversity Committee Representative

"I had a mentor that said stereotypes are like paper cuts - they may seem small and insignificant, and no one on the outside can really see them. But you feel each and every one, and they can really build up over time."

Fresh out of her Diagnosis & Empirically Supported Treatments class with Professor Beth Greivel, Ananya Rajaraman settles in for an interview. From her first answer, it's clear why she was elected as the representative of first year students on the new Counseling Psychology Program Diversity Committee. "Community advocacy is something I've always been interested in. Sometimes it feels like I can't change anything because I'm only one person, but I'll continue to make an impact in any way I can."