Jahaan R. Abdullah, EdD, NCC, LPC

Abdullah is an assistant professor, board certified and licensed counselor, social and restorative justice advocate, and a morally and ethically engaged observationist and researcher. She holds a BA in psychology, MA in community counseling, and EdD in counselor education and supervision. Abdullah works in private practice, and she is a past chair of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship: Clinical Mental Health Council. Additionally, she sits on the advisory board for APA’s Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program, and was the 2023 for the advisory committee. Abdullah is a 2017 NBCC doctoral fellow. In 2020, she was recognized with the Illinois Association for Multicultural Counseling Excellence in Multicultural Leadership Award and in 2022 she was recognized with the Ohana Honors Award from the Association of Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the American Counseling Association.

Her service and scholarship focus on social justice, restorative justice, multicultural counseling, advocacy, narratives and counternarratives of silenced voices and issues impacting race, ethnic equality, gender equality, and vulnerable groups. Additionally, she has an affinity for and research interest in romantic relationships with particular interest given to foreplay and intimacy within relationships. Further, her pedagogy and practice are strongly rooted in the wellness model of care.

Before starting her current faculty position, Abdullah previously held positions at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, National Louis University, and Springfield College. She has significant mental health work experience and has published and presented nationally and internationally on social justice issues, issues impacting women and marginalized groups, counseling marginalized populations, disparities in mental health diagnosis, and other topics relating to and impacting mental health for marginalized people.