Alette Coble-Temple is a professor of clinical psychology at John F. Kennedy University. She is a member of the disabled community as an advocate for equal rights for individuals with disabilities. She is also a leader among women in the field of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

. She sits as both a member of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

Committee on Women in Psychology, and as a member of the APA's Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. She lives with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

and much of her work has focused on

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

. In 2015 she won the Ms. Wheelchair California pageant.

Early life and education

At birth, Coble-Temple was given a 10% chance of surviving. As a child she was required to attend a special school for those with disabilities until she rebelled at the end of fourth grade and told her parents she was striking going to school until she could attend the school four blocks from her neighborhood home. With the support of her parents, they fought the local school district and at the beginning of fifth grade, Coble-Temple was fully mainstreamed at Almond Elementary. She graduated from Los Altos High School in 1989 where she gave the student commencement speech. Coble-Temple attended Santa Clara University where she earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1993. While at Santa Clara University, she founded the first support group for students with disabilities and became the first physically disabled student to live on campus and become a member of the Zeta Epsilon chapter of

Delta Gamma Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a women's fraternity in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members. It has 150 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's executive office is in Columbus ...

sorority. In 1993, Coble-Temple relocated to

Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek s ...

, in order to attend John F. Kennedy University (JFK University) in order to pursue a master's degree in sport psychology. She earned her degree in eighteen months and was voted most outstanding student for JFK University in 1995. In 1996 she returned to JFK University to be in the inaugural PsyD class. By 1999 she earned her doctorate in psychology and again was named the outstanding student of the year.

Career

Coble-Temple became a licensed psychologist in 2001. She has worked in the areas of disability research and policy, performance enhancement, coaching, and provided clinical practice to a variety of populations especially children, adolescents, and families within the legal system. Coble-Temple joined the PsyD faculty the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at John F. Kennedy University in 2004 and became an associate professor in 2014. Coble-Temple also works for the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation where she assesses parole candidates for the California Parole Board. Coble-Temple is a member of the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. In January 2015, she was elected to serve a 3-year term on the Committee for Women in Psychology as part of the American Psychological Association. She served as chair of the committee in 2017.

Awards and honours

* 2013 Faculty Member of the Year * City of Concord Human Relations Commissions Education and Awareness Award * 2015 John F. Kennedy University Harry L. Morisson Distinguished Teaching Award

Personal life

Coble-Temple adopted a girl in 2004, and named her Kathryn. She is married to Bob Temple.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coble-Temple, Alette American women psychologists 20th-century American psychologists 21st-century American psychologists People with cerebral palsy American scientists with disabilities John F. Kennedy University faculty Santa Clara University alumni People from Walnut Creek, California Living people 1971 births American women academics 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American writers with disabilities