Tes Tuason, PhD, LP is Full Professor and Clinical Director in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of North Florida and is a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Tuason was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States for her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She did her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah, University Counseling Center and Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Her research interests have focused on three areas: a) economic inequality and poverty such as investigating poverty’s determinants, its consequences, the influence of cultural values, ways of coping, and effective ways for upward mobility, b) minority identity formation (in terms of ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status) as it relates to counseling, symptomatology, well-being and health, and c) family, child, and adolescent issues utilizing systems and cross cultural perspectives (i.e., decision-making, creativity, overseas working, parenting, differentiating from family). She has over 50 publications in flagship journals such as
Journal of Counseling and Development and
Journal of Counseling Psychology and over a 100 conference presentations. Her research was funded by the UNF Foundation Board twice. She received the Dean’s Leadership Council Faculty Fellowship in 2004, the Outstanding International Leadership Award in 2008, the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award in 2009, the Susan B. Anthony Award in 2011, the Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award in 2012, and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award in 2019. Above all, Dr. Tuason advocates for mental health and wellbeing– specifically in her private practice, in clinical and research collaborations with community agencies for evidence-based practice, and in supervising counselors in training.
