The Wright Institute has a long history of addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion since its inception. Its mission of "Educating Clinicians to Society" has served as an organizing focus leading to the training and mentorship of many counselors, psychologists, and therapists over its 50-year history. The work to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has changed over time to meet the needs of its students, and ultimately, society. Most recently, our students organized to request additional support and called for the allocation of resources and the creation of the current office of DEI. In collaboration with a consultant, the board, staff, faculty, and students helped to create the current office within the clinical and counseling programs. Now in its 4th year, the counseling program DEI office seeks to focus on the following goals:

• Enhance visibility and respond to our program mission to “prepare and inspire a diverse student body”
• Develop shared language to support community wide inclusive language and a language of compassion and belonging
• Sustain a community of belonging and provide more opportunities for community building, socializing, and connecting within affinity groups and between groups
• Drive systemic accountability and respond to system wide DEI initiatives and strategic planning process

To carry out our goals, we have created the following events, programs, and support systems:

Funding Opportunity - DEI Student Fellowship: The Counseling Program DEI office staffs three incoming students and three continuing students as DEI fellows. The fellowship is intended to support the recruitment of a diverse student body, reduce financial barriers, and support retention efforts. The DEI office provides each of its fellows $5,000 in scholarship funds and a maximum of $5,000 in work study funds for a combined total of $10,000 in annual financial support. DEI Fellows receive training, supervision, a community of support, and the opportunity to impact the future of the Counseling program as a student leader. DEI fellows also provide mentoring to other students and support the goals of the DEI office. The Fellowship is a one-year commitment with the possibility of an additional one-year extension. The Fellowship application is included in the admissions application for prospective students. Applications will be reviewed following each admissions deadline.

Student Support: The DEI office is committed to supporting a community of belonging. The DEI Director and student fellows are available to meet with students online or in person to engage in 1:1 and collaborative conversations, facilitate difficult dialogues, and provide space to explore and discover areas of resource at the Wright.

Consultation and Collaboration: The office provides consultation to administration, staff, and faculty on DEI issues. We collaborate with our accessibility office, admissions, numerous committees, mentoring program, field placement office and with the clinical program.

Faculty Consultation: DEI fellows partner with faculty members to review courses and provide consultation on how to intentionally weave and add upon DEI content throughout course curriculum. Further, the DEI fellows Library Project includes helping the counseling program and MA library create a DEI section, review current videos for span of representation, and research and suggest new resources for the curriculum.

Training and Events: The DEI office provides training and events. Training and events are designed to build community and awareness, foster inclusion, bridge intersectional identities, and empower and amplify a broad range of voices.

Strategic Planning: Prior to 2020, the institute engaged in a rigorous strategic planning process. The counseling psychology program in conjunction with the PsyD program will be integrating feedback and focusing on multiple DEI related initiatives throughout the upcoming academic year as described and laid out in the strategic plan. Current strategic planning outcomes that have already been developed and sustained include, but are not limited to: an institute wide Anti-Racism Task Force, program wide Multicultural and Sensitivity (MAS) Course Curriculum Committee and faculty consultation group, an expansion of the counseling psychology DEI fellowship program from 2 DEI fellow to 6 DEI fellows and a Postgraduate DEI Office Assistant, an expansion of the counseling psychology mentor program to include an affinity group only track, the creation of Bienestar: Spanish Speaking Clinical Consultation group, and the addition of Dean of Students to the counseling psychology administrative team to support our mission to “prepare and inspire a diverse student body”.

Student Events and Resources: The DEI office provides ongoing resourcing to students, staff, and faculty in the program. Typical events and resources include: community wide speaker series event, community wide community care events, student led affinity groups and affinity group outings, individual peer to peer mentorship and student led mentor workshops, faculty and staff based affinity groups, and opportunities to participate in systemic accountability projects. We strongly encourage 1st year students to reach out to their student mentors in the mentoring program and all students to explore affinity groups and other community connections.

Who are we?

The DEI program is a priority in the Wright Counseling Program and it will remain active while we search for a new DEI director. In the interim, we have determined that focusing on the work of our student leaders within the DEI program is a priority. Therefore the DEI fellows and Affinity Groups will continue under the direction and supervision of Isabel Smith, AMFT, former DEI fellow and Program Assistant. Dr. Alison Richardson, Dean of Students will be overseeing the program until a replacement DEI Director has been hired. The search for a new DEI Director will take place as soon as the Program Director has come on board.

Izzy Smith (she/her)
Student Leadership Programs Advisor

Izzy Smith is the Student Leadership Programs Advisor. She served as a BIPOC affinity group co-facilitator during her first year, as a mentor, DEI student fellow, and Pride affinity group co-facilitator in her second year, and has continued as staff post-graduation to manage and support the student leadership programs and student leaders. Izzy's most salient identities include Lesbian, Biracial, SouthEast Asian American, and Woman of Color. She is dedicated to supporting others in their identity exploration and feelings of belongingness on campus. Outside this role and working as an associate therapist, you can catch Izzy hiking with her pup, camping, and playing board games.

Grace Stephenson (she/her)
DEI Second Year Student Fellow

Grace Stephenson (she/her) is a second-year DEI student fellow and second-year WI student, currently doing practicum at The Pacific Center in Berkeley, CA. As an autistic LGBTQ+ person coming from a mixed-race family, she's passionate about serving under-represented communities and building greater liberation and healing in relationships, trauma-recovery, community care, and across intersectional identities. Grace's previous paths have led her to LGBTQ+ nonprofits, community mental health, and crisis counseling. Outside of studies and work, Grace enjoys climbing, TV and movies, picnics, crafting, and reading dystopian sci-fi and fantasy.

Nola Vlasek (she/her)
DEI Second Year Student Fellow

Nola Vlasek is a second-year DEI student fellow and second-year student in the MA Counseling Psychology program (weekend cohort). Nola received her BS in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis and has been working in systems and technology in the non-profit sector for several years. She currently holds a position at the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland. In her free time, Nola is an avid reader and will always be happy to chat about books (ask her about her book club). She is often hiking with her partner, cooking Mexican food from scratch, or dreaming up interior designs for her apartment.

Martine Glaros (she/they)
DEI First Year Student Fellow

Martine Glaros is a first-year DEI student fellow. She is deeply interested in the intersections between emotional psychology and social justice/ DEI. She is also passionate about creating nourishing community spaces for various identities. Some of hers include Queer, Black/ Mixed, Neurodivergent, and Chronic Pain Holder. Before starting her MFT route, Martine worked at The Marin Headlands Nursery growing plants for habitat restoration and facilitating a variety of public programming. Relating to community and nature as a practice of decolonization was a conscientious part of this work. In their free time, Martine likes to go to roller skate nights, diddle around on the guitar, dance biodanza, and take naps with their cat on their tummy.

Ilse Gonzalez (she/her)
DEI First Year Student Fellow

Ilse Gonzalez is a first year DEI student fellow and a MA Counseling Psychology student. Ilse received her BA in psychology with a minor in human sexuality from San Francisco State University. Ilse is originally from Mexico but immigrated to the United States at the age of three and was raised in Oakland, CA. Ilse’s own experiences as a Queer, Latinx, immigrant woman led to her passion for raising awareness of mental health issues in the undocumented and migrant community. Ilse is also an advocate for sexual health which led to her work in the Together Study, a five-year long couples study that focused on HIV prevention and agreements among gay male couples about sex with outside partners. In her free time Ilse enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time with her cat.

Malik Knox (no pronoun preference)
DEI First Year Student Fellow

Malik Knox is a First-Year DEI student fellow. He received his BA in Sociology from Harvard University, and has worked in the sexual health field for the past 6 years helping to provide free access to care around the US. Malik has had a long-time passion for helping to foster belonging within a given space, and is excited to do so in the community of the Wright Institute. In his spare time he enjoys taking hip-hop dance classes, playing ultimate frisbee, and ki-ki'ing with the homies. He loves to laugh, and looks forward to doing so whilst connecting with fellow staff and students!

How to contact the DEI Office: dei_ma@wi.edu