Interested in health care since she was a child, Rosemary C. Ciullo began her professional journey with the goal of becoming a nurse. Upon taking some psychology classes in college, however, she fell in love with the subject and knew it was what she was meant to do. Dr. Ciullo particularly wanted to help children, so she got a job at St. Ann’s Hospital, a state mental institution for kids. She found the work to be very rewarding and stayed until the hospital closed more than a decade later. This experience propelled her to the Henry Horner Children’s Center, where she worked from 1987 to 1993, and to her own private practice, which she ran out of her home from 1995 to 2000. Dr. Ciullo also worked at Ada McKinley Foster Care, through which she advocated for foster kids. She even shut down a few foster homes because of mistreatment.
The highlight of Dr. Ciullo’s career was helping a young man through his mental and emotional illness and seeing him become successful and stable. He first entered her care at the age of 12, and she worked with him for six years. The patient wound up moving on to work at Sears with Dr. Ciullo’s brother. When they realized their connection, the patient asked for Dr. Ciullo’s number so he could thank her for saving his life. That has always stuck with her.
To prepare for her endeavors, Dr. Ciullo earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1974, a Master of Arts from Governors State University in 1977, and a doctorate in psychology, with high distinction, from the School of Professional Psychology at the Forest Institute in 1986. She furthered her knowledge and professional standing by completing coursework in child and adolescent psychology at the International College of Professional Psychology in 2005. Additionally, she joined prominent organizations like the American Psychological Association, the American Association of Suicidology, the Association for Psychological Science, the American Orthopsychiatry Association and the Illinois Psychological Association.
When Dr. Ciullo has spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, working with the church and volunteering. Some causes close to her heart include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, the Lurie Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald’s House, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and Women’s Choice.