Niki Wright, PsyD, CSAC is the program director at HiBHC. Her full-time job is Director of Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center’s intensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment program, Mālama Recovery Services, and integrated pain management department, Ho‘okūola Hale. As a licensed clinical psychologist and certified substance abuse counselor in the State of Hawai‘i, she has dedicated her professional career to breaking the negative social stigma of mental illness, including addiction, and finding creative ways to increase access to care in medically underserved communities. Her primary professional interests include health psychology and working with diverse and marginalized populations. Additional interests include chronic pain management, trauma, systems, and women’s health. Dr. Wright is also the Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Wahiawā Center for Community Health, co-founder of IMUA Health Group, and clinical psychologist for the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Education in the school-based behavioral health program. She currently teaches as Chaminade University in the Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy Program and she is the Practicum Development Specialist for the MA in Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Hawaiʻi in Hilo.
In her personal time, Dr. Wright is a National Health Service Corps Ambassador to help strengthen and grow the primary care workforce in areas of the United States with limited access to care. As the Director of Health and Wellness at CrossFit West O‘ahu and a CrossFit Level 1 coach, she believes in the power of movement as medicine for both physical and mental health issues, bridging the gap between health and fitness. She speaks locally and nationally about various mental health topics, especially substance use disorder treatment and chronic pain management.