Emotions in Harmony: Body Image and Eating Disorders in Communities of Color

Body Image and Eating Disorders in Communities of Color

Feb 19, 2021

Throughout the years, eating disorders have been portrayed in media as if it's only a problem that affects heterosexual, young, white females, but in reality, eating disorders have no boundaries and can affect people from any ethnicity, culture, or gender.

And even when we don't want to accept it, we have more cases of eating disorders in our communities of color than we think.

Eating disorders are viewed and treated differently depending on the culture where the affected one comes from; in the case of communities of color, we have a very deep connection with food, sometimes even turning it into a love language. This connection makes it difficult sometimes for the affected ones to get the correct treatment and support from their loved ones.

Knowing this, How can we help ourselves or our loved ones who might be struggling with body image or eating disorders?

In this episode, Dr. Carmen Román interviews Dr. Ghynecee Temple, who will tell us in a very insightful way, why the cases of eating disorders in people of color are not portrayed in media as much, how trauma and eating disorders are linked, and what we can do to help other who are suffering from an eating disorder.

Dr. Ghynecee Temple is a licensed and practicing psychologist at the University of Delaware. Dr. Temple earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 2018 from Washington State University. She has been in the field since 2013 and has extensive experience working with clients within higher education settings. She is particularly passionate about teaching others how to overcome adversity in order to live a healthier life. Recently, she and several colleagues were presented with the Bright Initiative Award (2019) at the University of Delaware for developing a program geared to improve access to mental health services for people of color. Dr. Temple is continuously looking for creative avenues to bring her passion for wellbeing to others and has recently launched a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing mental health and other various topics. She utilizes therapy, consultation, teaching, and outreach as her tools to help others.

What will you learn?