Dr. Thelma Duffey is Professor of Counseling and Department Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Longtime counselor and psychotherapist in San Antonio, Texas, she opened her practice in 1990, and has been serving individuals, couples, and families since that time.

Working with people during periods of adjustment, transition, and loss, Dr. Duffey is keenly aware of how difficult it can be to feel “stuck” in an experience, and to leave painful or confusing memories and unrealized dreams behind. She works with couples who are committed to building and deepening their relationships, as well as people who are in the midst of a break-up. She is committed to helping people reconcile difficult life experiences and create new, more fulfilling ones. Her style is relational and practical.

Dr. Duffey is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Texas. She serves on the Governing Council for the American Counseling Association, and was founder of the Association for Creativity in Counseling, the 19^th division within the ACA. She is a clinical member of the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Duffey also serves as Editor for the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health (JCMH), an international journal published by the Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Her book, Creative Interventions in Grief and Loss Therapy: When the Music Stops, a Dream Dies, is published by The Haworth Press, Inc., Taylor & Francis.

Dr. Duffey has received a number of national and international awards.  She received the 2011 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Distinguished Mentor Award, which was awarded in Nashville and the 2010 Texas Counseling Association Research Award, which she received in Austin.  In 2008, the Association for Creativity in Counseling established the first Thelma Duffey Vision and Innovation Award, which was presented at the American Counseling Association Convention in Hawaii.  Dr. Duffey received the 2006 American Counseling Association’s Professional Development Award and the 2006 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision’s Counseling Vision and Innovation Award, which were presented at the American Counseling Association Convention in Montreal.  Dr. Duffey was inducted as an ACA Fellow at the 2010 American Counseling Association Convention in Pittsburgh.  She has been recognized for teaching excellence by the college of education at Texas State University in 2001, and for excellence in service, by the college of education at The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2005.

Dr. Duffey is committed to the practice, teaching, research, and service of counseling and counselor education. She received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education degree from Trinity University and a Master of Arts degree and a Ph.D. from St. Mary’s University, where she was a Distinguished graduate.

Dr. Duffey is a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio. She is a Sustaining Member of the Junior League of San Antonio where she volunteered in area nursing homes, and participated at Christ Episcopal Church, San Antonio and All Saints’ Church, Washington, D.C. in various capacities. She also volunteered with the San Antonio Symphony League.

For more information, Dr. Duffey's curriculum vita is available online.