Drawing upon more than 25 years of expertise in clinical psychology, research and authorship, Dr. H. Jean Wright II has excelled as the deputy commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Disability Services in Philadelphia since 2021. Concurrent with this role, he has also been the director of the behavioral health and justice division and the senior advisor to the commissioner. Likewise, Dr. Wright allocates much of his time to Temple University, where he has served as an adjunct professor in their department of psychology.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Wright served the Ohio Department of Corrections, Evaluation and Research Associates, Inc., and Wilberforce University in various roles, having served the lattermost organization as an adjunct professor in the late 1990s. Additionally, he was an adjunct professor at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. Alongside his present endeavors, Dr. Wright is a clinical consultant for Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC and Johnson & Johnson, as well as the co-chair of the mental health subcommittee for the Safety and Justice Challenge of the MacArthur Foundation. Since July 2022, he has been the trustee for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a settlement for opioid medication, which has aided in the distribution of funds for the county. Moreover, he has thrived as a consultant for the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Advisory Board since 2009 and a clinical and forensic consultant for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania since 2009, among many other roles.
To prepare for his career, Dr. Wright received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and cultural studies from The Ohio State University, followed by a Doctor of Psychology in clinical and forensic psychology from Wright State University. He subsequently completed postdoctoral residencies at the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology and the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. He is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. A licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania and Ohio, Dr. Wright is also a certified mental health first-aid instructor and a certified chemical dependency counselor. Outside of his primary vocation, he authored “Find Strength in Your Struggle: Discover the Miracle in You” in 2015 and has penned several articles for faith-based magazines, scholarly papers and professional journals.
In light of his outstanding accomplishments, Dr. Wright was honored with the New Options More Opportunities (NOMO) Award in 2018 for his contributions to psychology and civic service and the Community Forgiveness and Restoration Award in 2016. Looking toward the future, he intends to expand his consulting business to a global audience and extend his reach in clinical mental health services.
