Dr. Ghynecee Temple is an EWU McNair alum who conducted her McNair research at Eastern with Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart in EWU’s psychology department, and earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 2018 from Washington State University. As a practicing and licensed psychologist, she understands the value of higher education, while recognizing the embedded structural challenges that disempower first-generation, low income and underrepresented students within the system. She is dedicated to advocating for equitable services, and has developed numerous outreaches and consultation projects aimed at student success and wellbeing in higher education since she began working in this arena in 2013. As a counselor at the University of Delaware, she and several colleagues were presented with the Bright Initiative Award (2019) for developing a program geared towards improving access to mental health services for people of color. Practicing from a multicultural and interpersonal framework, she utilizes therapy, consultation, teaching, and outreach as her tools to help others. She is particularly passionate about teaching people how to overcome adversity in order to achieve their goals, and in addition to her counseling practice, she has also launched a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing mental health, education, and other various topics.
As Eastern’s McNair Summer Seminar Series continued on-line in summer 2020, Zoom allowed us to coordinate workshops and seminars with experts from around the country, and we were lucky to have Dr. Ghynecee Temple present from Delaware the following workshops to our McNair research interns:
Having Difficult Conversations: Advocating for yourself in graduate school: Asking for what we need and saying “no” when we are overtaxed are two of the most difficult things for graduate students to do, but it is often such an important act of self-care and advocacy for ourselves. This module will aid in helping scholars recognize signs of burnout and stress, gain skills to identify needs, and sharpen their interpersonal communication skills. All of which are crucial to success in graduate school.
Covid-19: Dealing with Stress and Uncertainty about the graduate school process: Given that Covid-19 has impacted much of our daily experiences, it is only natural to feel stressed and uncertain about what is happening presently and what will happen next. To further complicate this experience is the process of applying to and pursuing a higher education degree. This module will discuss how scholars can maintain balance while pursuing their academic goals. Specifically, they will be provided with anxiety and stress management tools that can help them refocus and navigate the graduate school process.
Cultivating Allyship and Connection in graduate school and beyond: An essential aspect of graduate school is having the opportunity to connect and collaborate with peers from around the country and the world. Given that many of us come from various geographical locations and social contexts, it is important to learn how to understand and respect differences in an effort to build healthy relationships. This module will aid scholars in understanding the concept of allyship and how it can be used to enhance our interpersonal relationships within graduate school and beyond.
