FACULTY AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFILES
Dr. Hulya Ermis
Dr. Hulya Ermis is an assistant professor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the Department of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University. Dr. Ermis is a licensed school counselor in the state of Wisconsin and a licensed professional counselor in the state of Illinois. Prior to joining this Department, Dr. Ermis served as an assistant professor of School Counseling at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, supervising Practicum and Internship School Counseling students and coordinating the play therapy services offered to children within the rural community. Dr. Ermis currently works with children of divorce and with a history of trauma and blends different forms of play therapy to address a variety of social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Dr. Ermis’ scholarship, expertise, and excellence in research has been recognized with the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NCACES) Research Award (2020), University of Wisconsin-Stout Outstanding Emerging Researcher Award (2021), and Illinois Counseling Association Publication Award (2022).
Dr. Beth Gilfillan
Dr. Beth Gilfillan is an Assistant Professor of School Counseling at Northeastern Illinois University. She has a doctorate degree in Counselor Education & Supervision from Penn State University, a master’s degree in Counseling from DePaul University, and a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University. Prior to her role as a school counselor educator, she was an educational researcher at Northwestern University and a high school counselor for ten years in Illinois, specializing in post-secondary counseling. She currently serves as a co-leader of the Association for Counselor Education & Supervision’s School Counseling Interest Network, and served as President of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling in 2015-16. Dr. Gilfillan provides professional development related to post-secondary counseling to school districts and school counselors across the country. Her research and advocacy interests include training school counselors, improving college access, college and career readiness, and supporting first generation college students and their families. She is currently the Project Director on a $4 million grant from the Department of Education that supports the training of school counseling students.
Dr. Jia Wu
Jia Rung Wu, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Rehabilitation Counseling Program in the Department of Counselor Education of Northeastern Illinois University. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor, a license professional counselor in Wisconsin, and occupational therapist in Taiwan. With over 13 years of professional experience in the rehabilitation field, Dr. Wu has made significant contributions to the academic community by publishing over 50 refereed journal articles, seven book chapters and seven in press articles. She was awarded the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) Research Award (2nd place, 2017), and an ARCA Doctoral Student Research Award (1st Place, 2018). Her dissertation, for which she was awarded the Dr. Alo Dutta Memorial Scholarship Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation Research (the Best Dissertation Award) in 2019. Dr. Wu’s research achievements have earned her several grants and fellowship, including the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Switzer Merit Research Fellowship Grant (#90SFGE0035-01-00, $70,000) and NEIU Research Excellence Award in 2021. She is also a recipient of NEIU Summer Research Grant ($5,000) and Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Institute Fellow in 2022. Her programmatic research includes: 1) Race/Ethnicity Minority Students Success and Mental Health, 2) Health Promotion, and Positive Psychology, 3) Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Application and 4) Test Construction and Research Methodology.
