Transformation Through Creative Ritual

For the last five years, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program student Chandra Merry has worked on a project, the Participatory Arts Ritual, which she first developed within the field of community theater. “Community theater is like drama therapy, but focused on empowerment of participants through the use of participatory theater games. It was developed with a theoretical basis in liberation theory, or the ideas of Paulo Freire,” Chandra explains. Most recently, Chandra has been studying the applicability of her project to clinical group treatment.

Through three-hour workshops, Chandra guides a process in which participants create and facilitate a three-stage creative ritual based on a spontaneously chosen theme. Chandra explains that while she has a replicable protocol for her workshops, each is unique.

Student Spotlight: Jennifer Rillamas Building Clinical Skills with Middle School Youth

When choosing a graduate program, Jennifer Rillamas was drawn to the diversity of thought and backgrounds represented in the faculty and student body in the Counseling Psychology Program at the Wright Institute. “I felt the Wright would support me in my own diversity, and that this is where I was meant to be,” she explains.

This feeling of belonging was strengthened when Jennifer and her colleagues decided to form an afternoon study group during their first semester. “This quickly became an incredibly supportive group,” Jennifer says. “We were able to bond outside of class while discussing academics and our personal lives. It was great that the Wright provided us with the space to form this group and support each other.”

Two Early Career Psychologists Support Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The 2018 American Psychological Association (APA) Convention was held in San Francisco August 9 - 12, 2018. Over 10,000 attendees participated in workshops, viewed poster presentations, networked with colleagues, and more.

One well attended event during the convention was the Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast. The two speakers who were featured in this session are graduates of the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology program, Sarah Spinner, PsyD (Class of 2008) and Sara Pollock, PsyD (Class of 2015). Click here to read more about the event in the APA's latest email newsletter.

Get to know Kristin Dempsey, Ed.D. - Full-Time Faculty, Counseling Psychology Program

See Kristin's professional biography here.

Shayna Quilty (SQ): Tell me about your history with the Wright Institute.
Kristin Dempsey (KD): This is my second time around at the Wright Institute! Several years ago, I taught in my three areas of passion: Addictions Counseling; Crisis, Disaster & Trauma Counseling; and Community Mental Health. I took a break from teaching in order to pursue my doctorate, which I completed earlier this year. Now I'm back and I'm really excited because I believe in creating a socially responsible, recovery-oriented behavioral health workforce. I’m looking forward to teaching again, and to engaging with the warm, positive environment of this program.

The Wright Institute at the APA Convention 2018

The American Psychological Association (APA) is hosting their 2018 annual convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco next week, August 9 - 12, 2018. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, participate in lively events, network, and earn continuing education credits.

The Wright Institute will host a booth to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Make sure to stop by between sessions to chat with us and learn about our dynamic history. The booth will feature posters, video interviews, and other exciting artifacts.

Several Wright Institute faculty members will be presenting on myriad topics, so make sure to include these in your plans for the convention:

Alumna researches commercial sexual exploitation in women

Maya Bruhns, a graduate of the Clinical Psychology program, has published an article based on her dissertation research. She co-authored the article with fellow alumni Jana Slezakova and Alexander J. Lapinski, current student Toni Li, and faculty members Alicia del Prado and Becky Pizer.

International Autism Mapping Project

See Dr. Diamond's professional biography here.

Motivated by statistics that showed that the prevalence of autism was on the rise in the US and in other countries, Emily Diamond, PsyD began asking families around the world to join her in a project to begin to understand why this might be. Dr. Diamond graduated from the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program in 2004, and is now a member of the Full Time Faculty in the same program.

The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, and the Power of Seeing

See Dr. Keddy's website here.
Philip Keddy, PhD, an adjunct faculty member in the Clinical Psychology Program, drew from his extensive experience to review Damion Searls' book, The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach. His Iconic Test, And the Power of Seeing. The review was published in the Bulletin of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods.

Please see the review in its entirety below, reprinted here by permission of the International Society of the Rorschach & Projective Methods.

Davida Coady dies at 80

Dr. Coady was one of the founders of Options Recovery Services, an organization that has helped more than 10,000 people in the Bay Area become sober. The Wright Institute has worked closely with Options as a training site for many years. We send our thoughts and support to those who knew Dr. Coady and benefited from her commitment to improving the lives of everyone with whom she came in contact.

Click here to read the obituary in the Washington Post.

Wright Institute Faculty and Students Active in APA’s Minority Fellowship Program

See Professor Thakore-Dunlap's professional biography here.

Ulash Thakore-Dunlap, MFT, Full-time Faculty member in the Counseling Psychology program, has been selected to serve on the Training Advisory Committee for the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) with a focus on Services for Transition Age Youth.

“It’s an honor to be selected to serve on this committee, which is well-established and highly regarded within the APA and counseling psychology community,” Ulash says. The Training Advisory Committee meets twice a year and works with MFP staff to read and evaluate applications of hundreds of candidates from various graduate programs.