The Wright Institute is a private graduate school focused on

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and located in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

History

The institute was founded by

Nevitt Sanford Nevitt Sanford (1909–1995) was an American professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and later at Stanford University. A Harvard doctoral student of Gordon Allport, PhD in social psychology and Henry Murray, MD at the ...

in 1968 when he left Stanford. Dr. Sanford first gained prominence as a co-author of "The Authoritarian Personality," a study of anti-Semitism published in 1950. His co-authors included two refugees from Nazi persecution,

Theodor Adorno Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...

and

Else Frenkel-Brunswik Else Frenkel-Brunswik (August 18, 1908 in Lemberg – March 31, 1958 in Berkeley, California, USA) was a Polish-Austrian Jewish psychologist. She was forced to leave Poland and later Austria as a result of anti-Jewish persecution. She is bes ...

. Sanford believed strongly in the capacity of adults to continue to learn and grow throughout their lives. His developmental approach and emphasis on the possibilities of lifelong learning form a key part of the foundation on which the Wright's doctoral program is built. Sanford was also influential in shaping American clinical psychology educational standards. In 1947, he was appointed by the American Psychological Association to the committee that established criteria for accrediting programs in clinical psychology. Under his leadership, the Wright Institute broadened the educational scope of clinical psychology training to include an emphasis on understanding the diverse society in which we live.

Academics

The Wright Institute has two programs: a doctoral program in clinical psychology leading to a Psy.D. degree; and a master's program in counseling psychology leading to an M.A. degree. The institute is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

(WASC). The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation and the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program is approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). The MA program is designed to meet the requirements defined in the California Business and Professions (B&P) Code Sections 4980.37 and 4980.40 which cover the statutes and regulations relating to the practice of marriage and family therapy.

Notable alumni

* Alan Briskin, M.A. and Ph.D. Organizational Psychology, 1984 *

Derek Draper Derek William Draper (born 15 August 1967) is an English former lobbyist. As a political advisor he was involved in two political scandals, "Lobbygate" in 1998, and again in 2009 while Draper was editor of the LabourList website. He has worked ...

, M.A. Psychology, 2004 * Peter Gabel, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, 1981 *

Jan Haaken Janice Kay "Jan" Haaken (born March 2, 1947) is an American clinical psychologist, documentarian, and professor emeritus of Community and Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Portland State University. Haaken is the author of ...

, Ph.D. Social and Clinical Psychology, 1979 *

Joseph E. Marshall Joseph Earl Marshall, Jr. (born 1947) is an American author, lecturer, radio talk show host, and community activist. Marshall grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and the South Central part of Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Loyola High S ...

, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, 1997 * Amalia Mesa-Bains, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, 1983 *

Suzanne Segal Suzanne Segal (1955–1997) was a writer and teacher about spiritual enlightenment, known for her sudden experience of self-realization which she wrote about in her book ''Collision With the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self''. In additi ...

Notable former employees

Charles Hampden-Turner Charles Hampden-Turner (29 September 1934 in London, England) is a British management philosopher, and Senior Research Associate at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge since 1990. He is the creator of ''Dilemma Theory'' and ...

Stephen Nachmanovitch Stephen Nachmanovitch is a musician, author, computer artist, and educator. He is an improvisational violinist, and writes and teaches about improvisation, creativity, and systems approaches in many fields of activity. Biography Born in 1950, Na ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Alameda County, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Educational institutions established in 1968 Education in Berkeley, California Private universities and colleges in California