Rate My Professor Susan Henney

Susan Henney is Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown, where she also holds the position of Professor of Health and Behavioral Science and serves as Coordinator of the Health and Behavioral Sciences degree program. She earned her Ph.D. in 2000 from the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Human Ecology, Division of Child Development and Family Relationships. Prior to that, she received her M.A. in 1994 from Southern Methodist University in the Department of Psychology, with a concentration in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and her B.A. in 1990 from the University of Texas at Austin. Henney joined the University of Houston-Downtown as Assistant Professor of Psychology in 2005 and has progressed to full Professor. Previously, from 2004 to 2005, she was Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology at Worcester State College.

Henney's scholarly work spans developmental psychology, adoption studies, and mind-body wellness. Early research focused on openness in adoption, birthmother experiences, and kinship networks, resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications. Key articles include Ayers-Lopez, S., Henney, S. M., McRoy, R., Hanna, M., & Grotevant, H. (2008). Openness in adoption and the impact on birthmother plans for search and reunion. Families in Society, 89(4), 1-11; Henney, S. M., Ayers-Lopez, S., Mack, J. M., McRoy, R. G., & Grotevant, H. D. (2007). Birthmothers’ Perceptions of their Parented Children’s Knowledge of and Involvement in Adoption. Adoption Quarterly, 10(3-4), 1-26; and Henney, S. M., Ayers-Lopez, S., McRoy, R., & Grotevant, H. (2007). Evolution and resolution: Birthmothers’ experience of grief and loss at different levels of adoption openness. Journal of Personal and Social Relationships, 24(6), 875-889. She contributed to chapters such as Open Adoptions in the Handbook of Adoption (2007) and Changing agency practices toward openness in adoption (1998). More recently, Henney co-authored the groundbreaking textbook Mind-Body Wellness: A Science-Based Approach with Justin D. Hackett, published in 2025 by Springer Nature, offering a research-driven framework for wellness practices distinguishing science from pseudoscience. Her research interests include mind-body wellness, volunteerism, and popular culture. Henney teaches courses in mind/body wellness, personality psychology, case management, and patient advocacy, advocating for comprehensive student wellness.