Clinical Program Alumni Publish Dissertations in Asian American Journal of Psychology

The Asian American Journal of Psychology recently published its first special issue on Filipino American Psychology. Three Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program alumni published their dissertations in this peer-reviewed journal.

Sthefany Alviar '20, PsyD, contributed "'You should pray about it': Exploring mental health and help-seeking in Filipino American Catholics." Alviar's study examined the relationship between religious identity, mental health, and help-seeking in Filipino American Catholics.

Alumni Spotlight: Andre Jackson, Class of 2019

"It took a lot of introspection and exploration for me to figure out what I wanted to do," says Andre Jackson, "but once I started to feel the connection to the mental health world, everything fell into place."

Before coming to the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, graduating in 2019, and embarking on his journey as a clinician, Jackson spent time in a few different careers. His first career was in studio art. "I really loved it, but I never had the courage I needed to become a professional artist," he says.

Get to Know Ritchie Rubio, PhD - Adjunct Faculty, Counseling Psychology Program

Ritchie Rubio, PhD, has been teaching at the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program since 2014. He spoke with the Wright Institute's Dalton Green about immigrating to the United States, the importance of cultural humility in the mental health field, and how he forms strong connections with students in the classroom.

Dalton Green (DG): What attracted you to the field of psychology?

Ritchie Rubio (RR): I grew up in the Philippines. Growing up, psychology was not necessarily something my parents wanted me to pursue. In the Philippines, at that time, if you enjoyed and did well in math or science (like I was), you'd try to become a medical doctor.

Student Spotlight: Izzy Smith

"It's taken me a long time to figure out what is right for me," says Izzy Smith, "but I knew from the first day I started grad school that I had made the right choice." In her first year of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, Smith has had to juggle both in-person and at-home classes. She has excelled with both and has also found the time to co-lead a BIPOC student affinity group.

Wright Institute Students of Color Present 2022 Multicultural Symposium: Community Care

From April 22 to May 1, 2022, the Wright Institute Students of Color Group (WISOC) will host their 18th annual Multicultural Symposium. This year's theme, "Community Care," highlights and celebrates the diverse communities represented by WISOC. Due to the continued uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Multicultural Symposium will once again be held mostly online, and the events of this year's symposium will be centered around collective healing during uncertain times.

Bowbay Liang-Hua Feng '13, LMFT, on Mindfulness and Resilience

"What does it mean to be in this moment without judgment, to be fully present, and to be able to incorporate a sense of compassion and kindness toward ourselves? That's the benefit that mindfulness provides," says Bowbay Liang-Hua Feng, LMFT.

"I've been interested in mindfulness and meditation for most of my life, so it was a natural transition to incorporate that into my career," says Feng. A part-time faculty member at and 2013 graduate of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, Feng incorporates mindfulness practices into nearly every aspect of her life. Her career in the mental health field officially began in 2011, when she enrolled in the same program where she would later teach.

Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Montes

"I love studying body language, whether it's online or in person," Elizabeth Montes says about returning to the physical classroom after spending her first year in the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program online.

As a result of the switch to online classes at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montes is only now getting accustomed to in-person classes. After seeing only faces on a screen for a year, she is excited to get to know her classmates and instructors in new ways. "Different personalities come out when you're sitting in a room full of people. People tend to be more relaxed and show up more authentically," she says.

Alumni Spotlight: Meagan Rossin, Class of 2018

Meagan Rossin, LMFT, graduated from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program in 2018. She spoke with the Wright Institute's Dalton Green about her career since graduation, launching her own independent practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how her background in performing arts has helped inform her career in psychology.

Dalton Green (DG): Where has your career taken you since you graduated in 2018?

Rorschach's Psychodiagnostics: The Story of the 1942 English Translation

Philip J. Keddy, PhD, is an Adjunct Faculty member in the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program. He teaches one of the five parallel sections of Adult Assessment. The second trimester of this course focuses on the Rorschach inkblot test, using the Rorschach-Performance Assessment System (R-PAS), which was released in 2011. For the past several years Dr. Keddy has been heading a team (Rita Signer, Philip Erdberg, and Arianna Schneider-Stocking) to do a new, annotated, translation of Hermann Rorschach's 1921 book, Psychodiagnostics. This is a 100th-anniversary edition of the book in which Rorschach introduced his inkblot test. It is being published by Hogrefe, the publisher of the original Rorschach test plates, and will be available in the U.S. soon. Click here to read more about the new translation, and for information on purchasing via Hogrefe.

Alicia del Prado, PhD, Named Amongst Most Influential Filipina Women in the World

Congratulations to Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program

Faculty Member Alicia del Prado, PhD, for being named as one of the "Most Influential Filipina Women in the World" by the Foundation for Filipina Women's Network.

The "Most Influential Filipina Women in the World" award (Global FWN100) was launched in 2006, and has awarded 100 women globally since 2013. "​​[The award winners] are magnificent women doing extraordinary work trailblazing for the next generation leaders," said Marily Mondejar, founder and CEO of the Foundation for Filipina Women's Network.