Hi Amy 21,
I am from the Wright and currently doing my internship at a VA. If you are interested in research this is probably not the best school for you. I have attempted to do some research there, but this is difficult, simply because there are very few (literally 2-3) faculty members who are involved in research. However, if your question about research is related to your internship concerns, I have to tell you there are plenty of internship sites including VAs that are clinically oriented and don't care much about your reseach background beyond the disertation research. I am speaking from my own experience as well as from my classmates'.
Neuro is a different story, as it makes you competitive for majority or VA internships. At the Wright you will have a strong neuro training. Besides a year of coursework that includes neuroanatomy and all, there is a referral-based one-year neuro practicum at the Wright led by a board certified neuropsychologist, where you can get an experience doing real neuro assessments. I foudn this to be a great experience. In addition, If you are proactive enough, you can land a clinical practicum in one of the local neuro/cog rehab sites.
The thing with the external practicum sites and the Wiright is that, although the Wright can educate you and advice you on the external practicum sites, and some sites (including neuro) like the Wright students, nothing is guaranteed and you will have to complete for these placements with bunch of other applicants (Iam talking here about external sites, not the ones affiliated with the school like the neuro clinic mentioned earlier) . Speaking about the local psychology schools, I believe only PGSP Stanford PsyD program is in a better position regarding landing pracicum placements, due to their close affiliation with Stanford and Palo Alto VA.
On a positive note, you'll have an advantage over many other students when it comes to practicum placement, coming from another field with your life and work experiences and transferrable skills. I am also so-called non-traditional student, and the placement directors loved this. Not to offend our younger collegues, but I have been told multiple times that the program directors would rather prefer "mature" individuals with prior work experience to handle their patients, especially during the first couple years of practica.
In regards to forensics, there is an "informal" forensic track now at the Wright where you can take forensic electives, including a mock trial training. Also, there are well known (locally and nationally) forensic experts who are affliated with the Wright and teach there. They can be a foundation of your professional network, providing advice on forensic career opps, directing you to conferences in the field, and more.
A few more points to make: First, at the Wright you start clinical practicum from the very first year which is something you won't get anywhere else. Secondly, the Wright's reputation as a psychodynamic school is outdated. I personally chose a CBT route and am very pleased with my training.
To conclude, if you are interested in a Psy.D program in the Bay Area, you can certainly look at PGSP Stanford where you would get decent research background, less stress about searching for practicum placements, and an access to a wider spectrum of internship sites. If you are scared away by their tuition or an extra year in the program, however, your choice is the Wright Institute. I would not recommend CSPP or Argosy, their local reputation isn't nearly as good as that of the Wright, although I am sure there are exceptional students at every school. You are welcome to pm me if you need more info. Good luck!
P.S. To clarify I am not the student mentioned in the NPIntern's post, although I think I may know who that person is at the NPIntern's VA. This is a small world