Clinical Services Director Deanna van Ligten Reflects on One Year of the Pandemic

In March of 2020, the Wright Institute Clinic was faced with the decision to close its doors and move its services online. Deanna van Ligten, PsyD, the Wright Institute's Director of Clinical Services, recalls conversations she had early in that month, when so much seemed uncertain. "I remember asking myself, 'do we just have to cancel all of our services this week?'" says van Ligten of the week of March 9, 2020.

Wright Institute Faculty Contribute to AAMFT Leadership Symposium

Two Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program Core Faculty Members, Ulash Dunlap and Kristin Dempsey, contributed to events at the 2021 American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Leadership Symposium in March. This year, the AAMFT held a virtual conference, consisting of a mixture of pre-recorded and live presentations.

David Lin '05, PsyD, elected President-Elect of California Psychological Association

David Lin, PsyD, a 2005 graduate of the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program has been elected as President-elect of the California Psychological Association (CPA), the largest state psychological association in the nation.

Lin has spent much of his time since graduating working within the San Mateo County Health system, and currently holds the position of Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Ellipsis Health. Lin's role within San Mateo County Health was to create an integrated primary care behavioral health clinic. This clinic was focused on embedded behavioral health services, partnering with primary care providers and staff to meet the behavioral health needs of both mild and moderate cases.

Alumni Spotlight: Hazel Zetino, Class of 2016

Hazel Zetino, LMFT, graduated from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program in 2016. She spoke with the Wright Institute's Dalton Green about her career since graduating, the non-profit she founded recently, and how being a student mentor set her up for future leadership roles.

Dalton Green (DG): Where have you been working since you graduated in 2016?

Student Spotlight: Adam Brown

"I think that most of us who are drawn to this field simply want to help people, and do good work for society. That ethos certainly reflects how I want to live my life."

Midway through his second and final year of the Counseling Psychology program, Adam Brown came to the Wright Institute in 2019 after nearly a decade working as a journalist in the diabetes field. Brown, who has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since he was 12 years old, has a passion for helping others who also live with the condition.

"I've always had a love of helping people cope with this chronic disease," Brown says. With an interest in the field of psychology and some encouragement from a few diabetes psychologists he knew, he decided to make a change and pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology. When looking into programs in the Bay Area, the Wright Institute stood out as a good fit.

Counseling Psychology Program Faculty Host "Our Relationship with White Supremacy" Panel Discussion

On January 22nd, the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program core faculty hosted "Our relationship with white supremacy: Faculty perspectives from target and non-target membership," a webinar in which faculty shared their experiences with white supremacy with Counseling Psychology program students. Faculty panelists discussed their own experiences with multicultural/diversity courses that they took in their graduate careers, and shared what they learned, what they didn't, and how they continue to engage knowledge, skills and advocacy related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The event was the first in a three-part series; in the following parts, faculty members will discuss the concept of allyship and beloved community, and talk with students about the themes of the series.

Courtney Miller Wins 2020 Alameda County Psychological Association Dissertation Award

This month, Wright Institute Clinical Psychology student Courtney Miller was awarded the 2020 Alameda County Psychological Association (ACPA) Graduate Student Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “Bridging the Gap Between the Altar and the Therapist’s Office.” “I am honored to receive the 2020 ACPA Graduate Student Dissertation Award,” says Miller, “and I am thrilled to be able to use this award to further my research to impact my community.”

Miller’s study, “Bridging the Gap Between the Altar and the Therapist’s Office: A Needs Analysis for a Church-Based Mental Health Program from the Perspective of Pastors and Afican American Young Adult Congregants,” was designed to assess the attitudes, preferences, experiences, and needs for a church-based mental health program.

Surf Circle Adapts to 2020

When Surf Circle held its first session in February of 2019, founders Nathan Greene, PsyD, and Adam Moss, PsyD, were excited to hold in-person sessions with groups of adolescents navigating issues in their lives. After a successful first year, Wright Institute Clinical Psychology Program graduates Greene (class of 2017) and Moss (class of 2016), alongside their former mentors Christopher Arrillaga and Roberto Lascano have had to change their strategy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alumni Spotlight: Paige Pires de Almeida, Class of 2015

“I feel so proud of the contributions I can make to help people reach their goals or create a more meaningful life,” says Paige Pires de Almeida, LMFT. “I feel so much gratitude that I’m able to do work that I love.”

A 2015 graduate of the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology program, Pires de Almeida has spent the past seven years in the mental health field following careers in both the legal industry and technology/video game industry. This summer, she became an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology program, and also teaches at Dominican University’s Counseling Psychology program.

Student Spotlight: Allie Jackson

A few weeks before her graduation from the Wright Institute Counseling Psychology Program, Allie Jackson is reflecting on her past two years while looking ahead to her career as a clinician. "I don't know if it's possible for a student to finish this program as the same person they were when they started," she says. "I feel like I've grown immensely in the past two years."

A Southern California native, Jackson studied Psychology and Spanish at San Diego State University. She applied her studies into on-campus experience in the social psychology research lab. "That experience with research was one of the primary reasons why I wanted to go into psychology," she says.