The Wright Institute

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The Wright Institute

The Wright Institute is a graduate school of psychology with MA & PsyD programs.

05/11/2026

April Parker, a second-year student in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program, was born and raised in Northern California. She lived with her mother, who was a single mom, and her older brother. “My mother worked very hard and was doing the best she could to take care of two young children,” she reflected. “A lot of our social safety nets were already weakened at that time and there were a lot of ways our family fell through the holes.” Despite the family’s personal and financial struggles, April remembers a childhood filled with laughter and fun. “I was taught from a young age how to laugh in the face of life's most difficult challenges,” she explained. “That's a lovely piece of my childhood that I feel really grateful for.”

Read more about April here - https://www.wi.edu/news-student-spotlight-april-parker

04/20/2026

The Wright Institute's Psychology Outreach Program (POP) invites Bay Area college students and other adults to explore pathways to advanced psychology degrees—from Master's to Doctoral level and beyond at their Real Stories Diverse Voices event on May 9th from 11:30am-3:30pm. Connect with diverse graduate students and mental health professionals for mentorship, networking, and real-world insight. Come learn and be inspired.

RSVP here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNCv04QaATMixD1TVa1SFxhtVXD5Ddevv3fPSm_BDV9fMgSQ/viewform

04/17/2026

“I don't have dreams of grandiosity. I just want to be able to take care of myself and my loved ones and enjoy each day,” explained May Zahm, the program coordinator for the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program. “I'm trying not to take for granted what I already have, how blessed I am, and how much I've established for myself.”

Read more about May - https://www.wi.edu/news-staff-spotlight-may-zahm

04/09/2026

Dr. Krystal Stanley, a core faculty member in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program, spent the first fifteen years of her life in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lived with her parents and three younger siblings. When Dr. Stanley was fifteen, her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her father’s job in the pharmaceutical field. They moved again to Fort Dodge, Iowa for her senior year of high school. “It seems like it would be a big deal, but it didn’t feel that way,” she reflected. “I think I was always up for an adventure!”

Read more about Dr. Stanley - https://www.wi.edu/news-faculty-spotlight-krystal-stanley

04/01/2026

Dr. Pratima Pathania, a 2021 graduate of the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program, was born in India and moved to Hollister, California when she was twelve years old. Her father was a fashion designer in India and transferred to the US for work. Several years later, he was able to bring Dr. Pathania, her brother, and her mother here as well.

Read more about Dr. Pathania - https://www.wi.edu/news-alumni-spotlight-pratima-pathania

03/12/2026

“A combination of my temperament and my Jewish and Q***r identities has made me generally skeptical of authority and interested in people that redefine the good life outside of dominant social norms,” shared Dr. Adrienne Rosenberg, a 2020 graduate and current faculty member in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology Program. “You can draw a direct line between that, my dissertation on clinical failure, and my love of working with the neurodivergent, q***r, immigrant, and disabled communities.”

Read more about Dr. Rosenberg - https://www.wi.edu/news-faculty-spotlight-adrienne-rosenberg

03/06/2026

“I think back to my high school days when it was a big deal for me to talk about my depression and anxiety openly, then I think about how much harder it is to be open and honest about more stigmatized diagnoses,” shared Emily Angstreich, a fourth year student in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program. “I believe the key to therapy isn’t to focus solely on symptoms, but to witness all the complexities of a person; I want to help people who are misunderstood become understood.”

Read more about Emily - https://www.wi.edu/news-student-spotlight-emily-angstreich

01/09/2026

Shonali Shome, a 2023 graduate of the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program, grew up in a small town in Virginia, where her parents taught at Virginia Tech. “I’m an only child, but I have a large extended family on my dad’s side in India,” she explained. Shonali attended small public schools from first grade through high school. She enjoyed growing up in a small town and is still close to some of her elementary school friends. “Southwest Virginia was a very conservative area, but Blacksburg itself was more diverse and progressive because of the large university," Shonali recalled. “It was an interesting juxtaposition.”

Read more here - https://www.wi.edu/alumni-spotlight-shonali-shome

12/01/2025

Sean Daugherty, a third-year student in the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program, was born and raised in a small suburb outside of San Diego called Lemon Grove. He grew up in a working class neighborhood with his parents and his older brother. Sean attended public schools in Lemon Grove and the surrounding areas and still has many close friends from his neighborhood and schools growing up. His father managed a fireplace store and his mother did administrative work at a local community college, but both are now happily retired and still living in the home where Sean and his brother were raised.

Read more here - https://www.wi.edu/student-spotlight-sean-daugherty

11/19/2025

Professor Cristina Biasetto, a part-time member of the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program’s core faculty, was born and raised in Italy. After high school, Professor Biasetto attended the University of Milan in Italy where she studied Arabic and earned her bachelor’s degree. She was the first person in her family and the only one of her siblings to attend college. “I was drawn to studying Arabic because I was surrounded by immigrant communities where I lived, many of whom were from Arabic speaking countries,” she explained.

Read more - https://www.wi.edu/faculty-spotlight-cristina-biasetto

11/14/2025

“What I’ve loved most about being at the Wright Institute is creating meaningful spaces for connection within the larger community,” shared Alisha Ahmed, a fourth year student in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program. “I’ve learned that those moments require showing up, speaking up, and being willing to take risks by being vulnerable and inviting others to do the same.”

Read more here - https://www.wi.edu/student-spotlight-alisha-ahmed

Address

2728 Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA
94704

Telephone

+15108419230

Website

https://www.wi.edu/

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