Professional Biography

Joan Hartzke McIlroy, Ph.D., has been actively engaged in the professional community at the local, state, and national level.

She has presented her research regarding midlife women at the American Counseling Association’s Annual Conference and in local courses.

She has advocated for legislation related to mental health issues through a variety of means: written and oral testimony to Oregon Senate and House Committees, liaison with legislators and lobbyists, organization of counseling students and graduates in support of proposed legislation, and testimony at public hearings.

She has given many television, radio and newspaper interviews related to mental health issues.

She has served as a volunteer disaster mental health responder with the American Red Cross. As a national responder, she served coast to coast and in Puerto Rico (e.g., hurricanes, floods, wildfires and air crashes), including Hurricane Floyd (North Carolina), Egypt Air 990 Alaska Air, and 9/11. She coordinated the Disaster Action Team Mental Health Responders for Portland’s Oregon Trails Chapter, and responded to numerous local and statewide emergencies as a mental health responder (e.g., apartment fires and single family fires with fatalities, windstorms, ice storms, floods, and the Thurston High School shooting).

She served as a national trainer for ARC and taught Disaster Mental Health to professionals in Oregon and Hawaii. She also served as a member of the ARC Oregon Trails Chapter Mental Health Committee, and participated in Portland Airport’s first Triennial Drill (simulated air crash) as lead Mental Health Responder.

She has debriefed disaster responders related to disasters within the United States and its territories and possessions. In 1999 she debriefed a search and rescue dog handler upon their return from Turkey’s earthquake.

She has been a member of the American Counseling Association and the Oregon Counselors Association.  She served as a member of the Oregon School Counseling Association’s School Crisis Response Planning Team and assisted with development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the American Red Cross and the Oregon School Counselors Association.

Professor McIlroy’s professional activities encompass direct mental health response to people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as all ages and socioeconomic levels. Furthermore, her work has involved cooperative interactions with a wide variety of professionals: mental health professionals, school personnel (e.g., administrators, teachers, counselors, psychologists, support staff), legislators, media, law enforcement officers, firefighters, government officials (e.g., mayors, county commissioners, state and county emergency personnel, FEMA), nurses, hospital staff, mass care workers, logistics officers, National Guard, business owners, church personnel, representatives from various community organizations (e.g., Salvation Army) and a wide array of administrators.

In 2007-2008 she created to website for CPSY Career and Professional Resources (CPSYCPR).  

Academic Credentials

Ph.D. 1973 and M.A. 1971 University of Colorado at Boulder

B.A. 1967 Fontbonne College (St. Louis, MO)