Peitao Zhu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Counseling
ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholar

Department

Peitao Zhu joined the NIU faculty in fall 2020. Professor Zhu's research is guided by the core question: What are the characteristics and interpersonal markers of impactful counseling, supervision, and pedagogy? His signature areas of scholarship include (a) multicultural counseling and supervision, with a focus on cultural humility; (b) group dynamics and group pedagogy; and (c) professional and pedagogical issues in counselor education. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as the Journal of Counseling and Development, Counselor Education and Supervision, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. A versatile applied methodologist, he is frequently sought after for his expertise in advanced quantitative analysis as well as qualitative and mixed-methods inquiry.

Professor Zhu is deeply engaged in professional service. He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and on the editorial boards of three other ACA-affiliated journals. He holds elected positions in national counseling organizations, including the Member-at-Large for Awards for the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling. At NIU, he serves as Co-Coordinator of the Counseling Program, Faculty Advisor for the Graduate Certificate in Trauma-informed Counseling, and as a consultant for the university’s Research Methodological Services. His contributions to the counseling profession have been recognized with the 2021 ACES Emerging Leader Award and the 2024 NCACES Outstanding Research Award.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Zhu is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC), maintaining an active clinical practice in the Chicago area.

Research Interests

Cultural humility
Group dynamics
Counselor education pedagogy
Theoretical/professional issues in counseling

Select Referred Publications

Zhu, P., Luke, M., Wang, Q., & Liu, Y. (2025). Relational processes of cultural humility: A structural equation modeling study. Journal of Counseling & Development. 103(1), 71-85.

Zhu, P., Chen, C-C., Wang, Q., Liu, Y. & Luke, M. (2025). Item response theory and measurement invariance analysis of the Cultural Humility and Enactment Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. 58(1).

Zhu, P., Smith, T., Lee, I. & Schoonover, T. J. (2024). Group cohesion in experiential growth groups: A multilevel growth model. International Journal for Group Psychotherapy.

Zhu, P., Litherland, G. R., Bell, T., & Luke, M. (2024). Professional wisdom in counselor education: A consensual qualitative research. Counselor Education and Supervision. 63(4), 311-329.

Li, C., Zhu, P., and Loveless, C. (2023). Counselors' challenging experience in integrated behavioral healthcare: A qualitative exploration. Counselor Education and Supervision.

Zhu, P. and Luke, M. (2022). A supervisory framework for systematically attending to the outcomes in clinical supervision. International Journal for the Advancement in Counselling. 44, 94-111.

Zhu, P., Luke, M., and Bellini, J. L. (2021). A grounded theory analysis of cultural humility in counseling and counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 60(1), 73-89.

Zhu, P., Lau, J., Navalta, C. P. (2020). An ecological approach to understanding pervasive and hidden shame in complex trauma. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 42(2), 155-169.

Education

Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education, Syracuse University
M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine
B.S. in Biotechnology, Fudan University