Wright Institute Alumna Dr. Joty Sikand Selected as Behavioral Healthcare Champion

Wright Institute alumna Joty Sikand, PsyD, has been selected by Behavioral Healthcare Magazine as a national "Behavioral Health Champion." The award honors leaders of behavioral health organizations who display dedication, courage, inspiration, and excellence in making a difference in the development, delivery, and effectiveness of mental healthcare services. Dr. Sikand is one of five awardees.

Since 2004, Dr. Sikand has served as president of The Hume Center, an East Bay community mental health organization providing comprehensive multicultural and multilingual behavioral health care services. The Hume Center trains more than 40 doctoral trainees and directly serves over 1,500 people each year.

Beth Greivel Spearheads Effort to Have CAMFT Denounce SOCE (Sexual Orientation Change Efforts)

From Gaylesta.org by Jay Philip Paul:

Beth Greivel, a graduate student at The Wright Institute in Berkeley and a new Gaylesta member, submitted a petition to the CAMFT Board of Directors on July 9th, requesting that CAMFT make changes to their Code of Ethics that would denounce sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are the largest group of licensed mental health professionals in the State of California, and CAMFT (The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) should represent their interests. Our hope is that CAMFT will formally acknowledge that SOCE therapists mislead clients about what they provide, fail to provide appropriate services, and instead cause serious harm to clients by reinforcing negative societal messages about LGBTQIQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, questioning, asexual) individuals. We hope that CAMFT will make its members understand that those who offer such unethical and harmful therapies are not welcome in the organization.

Two Students to Represent Wright Institute at APA Convention in August 2014

Wright Institute students Eric Samuels and Sherri Taylor will participate in the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention to be held in Washington D.C. from August 7-10, 2014.

Eric is a member of the APA Graduate Students Committee on LGBT Concerns, and will chair a symposium entitled "Controversial LGBTQ Issues in Graduate Training." The symposium will explore how graduate programs are dealing with issues such as conscience clause legislation, footnote four, and sexual orientation change efforts.

In addition, as chair of the California Psychological Association of Graduate Students, Eric has been selected to participate in a presidential program entitled "Struggling Together: Stakeholder Collaboration to Address the Internship Crisis." APA President Dr. Nadine Kaslow has convened a panel of five students and one early career psychologist to present solutions to the internship crisis.

Dr. Milena Esherick speaks in Washington, DC about how to use psychology to spread social change.

Master's Program Director Milena Esherick was a featured presenter at the Humane Society's Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington, DC. The Saturday, June 28 panel, "Change of Heart: The Psychology of Social Change", was warmly received by a standing-room only crowd. An active and energetic advocate for animal welfare, Dr. Esherick is interested in using psychological research and methods to effect positive social change. Presenting alongside Dr. Esherick was Nick Cooney, author of Change of Heart, founder and director of The Human League, and contributor to media outlets, including Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.

Jessica R. Areen Joins Board of Trustees at San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis

Jessica R. Areen, Wright Institute PsyD program student, has been named to the Board of Trustees at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis.

Entering into her second year as practicum trainee at the Mission Mental Health Clinic, she provides psychoanalytic psychotherapy and intake assessments for adults in a community mental health setting. Prior to attending the Wright Institute, Jessica worked as an attorney specializing in corporate governance, nonprofits, venture capital, and taxation.

The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP) is a not for profit organization with more than 160 practicing analysts and more than 45 candidates (psychoanalysts in training). It is is dedicated to advancing the vitality and enduring value of psychoanalysis in northern California. The SFCP provides an extensive training program in psychoanalysis. In addition, it maintains Low / Moderate Fee Referral Services for adults, children and adolescents as well as providing other mental health services.

Five Wright Institute Students Receive CAPIC/MHSA Psychology Intern Stipends

We are proud to announce that five Wright Institute students are awardees of the California Psychology Internship Council/Mental Health Services Act (CAPIC/MHSA) Stipend Program for 2013-2014 (Year 6). The students are:

• Nicholas Hack
• Stanley Markowski
• Robyn Matlon
• Franziska Ronquillo
• Brooke Welch

Thirty-five FTE stipends totaling $727,000 were awarded to 37 recipients from 17 California doctoral programs. This CAPIC/MHSA psychology intern stipend program is funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63).

Wright Institute Graduate, Ofer Zur, Offers 20% Discount for Wright Institute Students, Faculty, and Alumni for Zur Institute Online Courses

The Wright Institute has been granted a 20% discount for students, faculty and alumni who would like to take advantage of the excellent online courses at the Zur Institute.

In addition to all of the licensing pre-requisite courses at http://www.zurinstitute.com/prelicensingca.html, this discount applies to over 170 online CE courses (http://www.zurinstitute.com/homeonline.html), and on all of the Zur Institute's Private Practice Materials at http://www.zurinstitute.com/catalog.html).

Dr. Ofer Zur, a distinguished graduate of the Wright Institute has made this generous discount possible.

Wright Institute Commencement Held on Sunday, June 8, 2014

Fifty-eight students graduating with doctoral degrees from the Wright Institute in the past academic year were honored at the Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 8, 2014. Following the welcome and opening remarks from President Peter Dybwad, JD, and Dean Gilbert Newman, PhD, respectively, the commencement address was delivered by Mardi Horowitz, MD.

Dr. Horowitz is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is certified in Psychoanalysis by the American Psychoanalytic Association and is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. A prolific author, he is past president of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, and the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

Terry Kupers, M.D. is quoted regarding inhumane prison conditions

How Solitary Confinement Destroys Women by Sarah Shourd thebea.st/1tvPw9m

The rate of female incarceration is increasing rapidly, mostly for crimes driven by poverty and abuse. Then solitary confinement compounds the trauma.

"I always felt unsafe is solitary," said 53-year-old Jacqueline Craig, who was incarcerated at age 16 for a drug offense and went on to spend 20 years of her life in prison, roughly six or seven of those in "the hole," or solitary confinement. "I had to put on this bad-ass persona. I got more confrontational and ended up with more and more time in solitary."

The Greater Good Gratitude Summit: A Day of Science, Stories and Inspiration

UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center presents:

The Greater Good Gratitude Summit: A Day of Science, Stories & Inspiration

June 7, 2014 | Craneway Conference Center, Richmond, CA or via live webcast

Gratitude is a key—perhaps the key—to feeling more satisfied with your life.

At this groundbreaking event, scientific experts and spiritual leaders will illuminate the importance of gratitude to our health and happiness and offer research-based strategies to cultivate more of it in your life.

Keynotes by

Brother David Steindl-Rast, Interfaith dialogue pioneer, co-founder of Network for Grateful Living