Dr. Beth Gilfillan
Beth
Gilfillan
Ph.D.
Associate Chair, Assistant Professor; Faculty Advisor for School Counseling
Counselor Education
College of Education
(773) 442-5593
Expertise
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.
Courses Taught
COUN 410 Seminar in School Counseling
COUN 442 Practicum in School Counseling
COUN 462 Internship I: School Counseling
COUN 472 Internship II: School Counseling
Research Interests
Training school counselors, improving college access, college and career readiness, and supporting first generation college students and their families.
Education

Pennsylvania State University
Counselor Education and Supervision, Ph.D.

DePaul University
Human Services and Counseling, M.Ed.

Northwestern University
Human Development and Psychological Services, B.S.

Selected Publications

Gilfillan, B. H., Das, B., Erickson, D., & Gupta, K. (Accepted 2021). Involving Families in the Post-Secondary Planning Process: A Case Study. Professional School Counseling.

Das, B., & Gilfillan, B. H. (2021). Utilizing family systems theory in college readiness counseling. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 33(1), 71-82.
https://www.mwera.org/MWER/volumes/v33/issue1/MWER-V33n1-Das-COMMENTARY.pdf 

Bigelow, T. M., Das, B., Gilfillan, B. H., Forziat-Pytel, K., Galvan, A., & Kim, S. R. (2021). Wellness-based writing retreats: Promoting academic productivity across professional stages within counselor education. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1924096

Mason, E. C. M., Cheatham, C. B., Gilfillan, B. H., Gueh, B. B., Henderson, H. B., & Robertson, A. (2021). School Counselors as Leaders: Best Practices for Developing Postsecondary Readiness Programming. In E. M. Hines, & L. Owen (Eds.), Equity-Based Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions: An American Imperative. IAP.

Gilfillan, B. H., Kim, S. R., & Prescod, D. J. (2020). International College Options: An influential professional development program for school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 18(3), 1-23.  

Fleming, A. F., Phillips, B. N., Gilfillan, B. H., Gray, J., & McCloskey, M. (2020). Positively engaged pathways: A brief pre-employment intervention for transition age youth with disabilities. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education, 34(4), 284-296. https://doi.org/10.1891/RE-19-33

Prescod, D. J., Gilfillan, B. H., Belser, C., Orndorff, R., & Ishler, M. (2019). Career decision-making for undergraduates enrolled in career planning courses. College Quarterly, 22(2), 1-14. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1221402.pdf
 
Gilfillan, B., & Schultz, K. (2019). Counseling the transnational applicant. In J. Mathis, R. M. Rall, & T. M. Laudino (Eds.), Fundamentals of college admission counseling: A textbook for graduate students and practicing counselors (5th ed.). NACAC.

Bryan, J., Griffith, D., Henry, L., & Gilfillan, B. (2019). School-family-community partnership strategies for promoting college readiness and access. In J. Mathis, R. M. Rall, & T. M. Laudino (Eds.), Fundamentals of college admission counseling: A textbook for graduate students and practicing counselors (5th ed.). NACAC.

O’Sullivan, D., Gilfillan, B., & Henry, J. (2019). Personality assessment in clinical rehabilitation and mental health settings. In D. Strauser & F. Chan (Eds.), Assessment in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. Springer Publishing.

Gilfillan, B. H. (2018). School counselors and college readiness counseling. Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X18784297 

Selected Exhibitions

Gilfillan, B., Blanchard, R., Bounds, P., Farrell, I., Stevens, M., & Harrichand, J. (2021, April). Advancing advocacy: Thinking through CSI’s six advocacy themes. Webinar for CSI. 

Gilfillan, B., Gupta, K., & Erickson, D. (2021, March). Data-driven Parent Engagement: A District Commitment. Presentation at the Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference (EBSCC), virtual conference.

Griffith, C., Mason, E. C. M., Ieva, K. P., Horton, D. M., Rumsey, A. D., & Gilfillan, B. H. (2021, March). Increasing research quality: Swapping specious stats for robust results. Education session to be presented at the Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference (EBSCC), virtual conference. 

Oehrtman, J. P., & Gilfillan, B. (2020, October). Take note: Legal and ethical issues regarding school counseling notes. Presentation at the annual All Ohio Counselors Conference (AOCC), virtual conference. 

Gilfillan, B. (2019, October). The influence of school counselors on the college and career readiness of first generation college students. Presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), Seattle, WA.

O’Connor, P., Gilfillan, B., & Perez, A. (2019, September). College counseling fundamentals. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Louisville, KY. 

Gilfillan, B., Leinen, S., & Herrera, V. (2019, July). Let’s get together and feel alright: High school and college partnerships to promote access. Presentation at the annual Guiding the Way to Inclusion conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Liu, W., & Gilfillan, B. (2019, April). Creating a job from scratch: Establishing a school counseling program in private and alternative schools. Presentation at the annual Chi Sigma Iota Pennsylvania Statewide Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.

Das, B., & Gilfillan, B. (2018, November). Ready together: School counselors using family systems theory with first generation college students. Presentation at the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (WACES) conference, Santa Rosa, CA.

Gilfillan, B., & Prescod, D. J. (2018, October). The impact of a career decision-making course on career decidedness. Presentation at the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NCACES) conference, Cleveland, OH.

Das, B., & Gilfillan, B., Hill, N., Seward, D., Harrichand, J., & Bruner, S. (2018, September). Engaging in multicultural curriculum in this administration. Presentation at the North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (NARACES) conference, Burlington, VT.

Gilfillan, B. (2018, February). Utilizing data to drive college and career change. Presentation at the U.S. Department of Education’s Principals and Counselors Program, Washington, DC.

Gilfillan, B. (2017, April). School counselors go to college: Forging a path to college access and success. Presentation at the annual Chi Sigma Iota Pennsylvania Statewide Conference, Scranton, PA.

Gilfillan, B. (2017, February). Cultural/Linguistic/Ethnic diversity. Presentation at Penn State University’s Diversity in Education Conference & Workshop, University Park, PA.

Addington, L. M., Sinclair, C., & Gilfillan, B. (2016, September). Advising US students on pursuing university options abroad. Presentation at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Columbus, OH. 

Gilfillan, B., Bihn, N., & Belawich, C. (2016, May). Professional Pathways – Year 1. Presentation at the annual conference of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), Itasca, IL.

Gilfillan, B., & Hinden, K. (2013, April). Clarifying the confusion of college: A small group approach. Presentation at the annual conference of the Illinois School Counselor Association, Skokie, IL.

Gilfillan, B., Morris, N., & Lubiniecki, C. (2012, May). Learn 2 “Like” me: Using social media to effectively deliver your college counseling program. Presentation at the annual conference of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), Itasca, IL.

Additional Information

Federal Grant Work
LaVenia, K. N., Principal Investigator, and Co-Investigators Johnson, P., Lonn, M., & Gilfillan, B.H. (2020-2023) US Department of Justice, Preventing school violence: BJA's Student, Teacher, and Officers Preventing (STOP) program; Project: LEAD WELL: Leadership for School Safety and Well-being, Award Number 2020-YS-BX-0057, $749,993.

Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

(773) 442-5593
Office Hours
Fall 2023:
Tuesdays 12-2p.m.
Wednesdays 2-5p.m.
Main Campus