Wright Institute Alumna Amalia Mesa-Bains featured in Berkeleyside

"Despite having a MacArthur “genius” grant, among other accolades, Amalia Mesa-Bains, like many Chicana artists of her generation, has always had to work harder than most for attention from the mainstream art world. Now, the 79-year-old Bay Area artist is receiving her first museum retrospective, opening Feb. 4 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive."

Read the full article here.

Dr. O'Connor in Psychology Today

Dr. O'Connor recently published an article in Psychology Today entitled "How to Live with Survivor's Guilt: It’s hard to be happy when someone you love is suffering."

"Feeling a form of survivor's guilt can be normal in daily life. The angst that grabs you when you win an award and your coworker is unrecognized, or when you realize you’re still in love with your husband while your best friend is recently divorced and certain she’ll be alone forever—that awful feeling that comes like a weight on your shoulders, pushing you down, that may be survivor's guilt. It’s so under the surface we rarely recognize it—it feels like waves of inexplicable anxiety, or depression."

Read the full article here.

Dr. Miller in the Berkeley High Jacket

"'I think that teens, especially post-pandemic, have a lot of stuff going on these days–there are so many pressures,' said Dr. Larry Miller, a licensed psychologist who has a private practice in Berkeley and is a faculty member at the Wright Institute. Miller has over 25 years of experience working with people of all ages. 'They’re getting hit with so many different things, it gets hard to differentiate if it’s the seasons or all these other things going on in their lives.' He adds."

Read the full article here.

Dr. Lamia in the Times and Democrat

"As abortion supporter, Psychology Today contributor and Wright Institute professor Mary Lamia put it recently, men "often silently suffer after abortion” because society disenfranchises their grief."

Read the full article here.

Alumni Spotlight: Graham Holoch

“The Wright Institute instilled in me a curiosity and an acceptance and excitement about continuing my own journey, learning, growing, adapting, and sometimes relearning,” shared Graham Holoch, who graduated from the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program in 2021. “In the world of mental health, there is no manual, there is no script. Everyone brings something different, clients and clinicians.”

Graham was born in San Francisco and is the oldest of three brothers. His mother is from Hong Kong and his father is of German descent, but was raised in New Jersey. Over the course of his K-12 education, he attended a Montessori school, a Waldorf school, a private school, and several public schools. “I would say I didn't particularly enjoy high school,” Graham admitted, but he did enjoy the high school’s photography program. “We had a working dark room and a really good photography teacher,” he shared, which inspired him to pursue photography.

Administration Spotlight: Dr. Alison Richardson

“Life is gonna life,” shared Dr. Alison Richardson, Dean of Students in the Counseling Program at the Wright Institute. “It's important to allow yourself to be vulnerable and to say, ‘I need some support right now. I need a cheerleader in my corner. I need somebody to talk to,’ because it’s just a patch, it’s not forever.” With sage advice like this, it’s no surprise that her path has led her to her current position, guiding students through their higher education experiences.

Student Spotlight: Erin Cafaro

“Because of my size, I knew I wasn't going to be able to play the same game as the rest of my teammates. So, I became interested in performance psychology and how to work on what lies within, rather than just the physical” reflected Erin Cafaro, Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program student and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Rowing.

Erin Cafaro grew up in Modesto, California, which was a small farming town at the time, with her parents and older brother. “The most important things in my community were farming, football and faith in no particular order,” Erin shared. Her dad and brother were her heroes, “not just because they were local sport legends but because they were good teammates, good coaches, and good humans.” Growing up, she had very supportive family and educational environments. In middle and high school, Erin recalled, “I straddled between two outward identities - the jock in my advanced classes and the nerd on my sports teams. ”

Student Spotlight: Uriel Leal Flores

Uriel Leal Flores, a first year student in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program, was born in Mexico City, where he lived with his family for the first six years of his life. They immigrated to Fresno, California just before he started first grade, which he described as “a perfect time to learn the language.” After four years, Uriel’s family decided that Fresno was too cold and moved to the desert in the Coachella Valley, where they still live today. Growing up in the Coachella Valley, where there was a large Latinx community, was a great experience for Uriel and his sister. “I was able to speak the language I love and relate to people with the same background,” Uriel reflected.

Alumni Spotlight: Alison Hui

“People seem to be drawn to me and confide in me, so that was what piqued my interest in psychology,” shared Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program graduate, Dr. Alison Hui.

Alison was born and raised in Hong Kong in a middle-class home with their parents and two younger siblings. At fourteen, the family relocated to Guam. “It was a big transition, especially since it was the time in my life when I had just started having a little bit more autonomy,” they reflected. “In Hong Kong, I could take the bus or the subway everywhere and then in Guam, you needed a car to get around.” In addition to the lifestyle adjustments, Alison also had to learn to speak English. “I actually watched a lot of American television and movies to kind of get myself used to the lingo,” Alison recalled. “It was a sink or swim kind of situation for me.”

Alumni Spotlight: Eric Tian Qi Lindberg, Class of 2017

“I took the scenic route, and finished my licensure process almost seven years to the day since my New Student Orientation in 2015,” shared Eric Tian Qi Lindberg. “It will take some time to integrate the new identity, but the leveling up feels nice!”

A lot has happened for Lindberg since he graduated from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program in 2017. In 2019, he became a father, welcoming his son, Oliver. From 2019-2022, Lindberg held the position of field placement advisor in the Counseling Psychology Program, working with fellow Wright Institute alum Stuart Lee to guide students in their practicum experience. Along the way, he gained experience as a clinician in private practice, growing his client base each month. In 2022, he left his position as field placement advisor after passing the licensure exam. Lindberg is now a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working in private practice.