Elizabeth (Beth) Boland, PhD, CRC

she/her/hers, Professor and RC Academic Program Director

About

Education

  • Ph.D. Rehabilitation Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • M.S. Rehabilitation Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • B.B.A. Marketing and Psychology (double-major), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Certifications

  • Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (#00011647)

Background

After receiving her Master's degree, Dr. Boland worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of Nebraska for three years. In addition to a general caseload, she was the liaison with the local rehabilitation hospital and was actively involved on the rehabilitation team for both the inpatient and outpatient programs. The caseload at the rehabilitation hospital primarily consisted of individuals with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. 

Upon completing her doctoral degree, Dr. Boland joined the faculty at the University of Florida's Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. During her 4½ years at UF, she taught undergraduate courses in Rehabilitation Services, graduate courses in Rehabilitation Counseling, and doctoral courses in Rehabilitation Science.

Dr. Boland joined the MA in Rehabilitation Counseling Program at Western Washington University as faculty and the Academic Program Director in December, 2004. From September 2010 until August 2015, she was also the Department Chair. Dr. Boland is also collaborating with Northwest Indian College's Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Institute as the Assistant Director.

Typical Courses Taught

  • RC 501 - Rehabilitation Research
  • RC 578 - Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Rehabilitation Counseling 
  • RC 585 - Social, Psychological and Attitudinal Aspects of Disability 
  • RC 586 - Medical Aspects of Disability

Areas of Focus, Research/Projects, and Interests

Dr. Boland's research interests are (a) rehabilitation counseling education, (b) return-to-work for individuals with significant disabilities, and (c) professional leadership.

Selected Publications

Lee, M. S., Boland, E. A., Kreuzer, G., Dagel, W. W., & Jenson, R. (in press). Services, supports, and interventions for American Indians and Alaska Natives in vocational rehabilitation programs: A scoping review. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal. 

Anderson, C., Brinck, E., Brehmer, C., Boland, E. A., Degeneffe, C., & Tucker, M. (in press). Teaching with access in mind: A disability-inclusive approach to research and evaluation counseling courses. Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal.

Brinck, E. A., Soldner, J. L., Kuo, H. J., Sabella, S. A., Landon, T. J., Bernacchio, C. P., & Boland, E. A. (2026). An AI perspective on counseling supervision. Behavioral Sciences, 16, 1038.

Boland, E. A., Dagel, W. W., Emanuel, J. M., Roberts, K. D., & Beam, K. W. (2025). Building relationships for shared cases between state and tribal vocational rehabilitation programs. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 62(1), 33–38.

Bernacchio, C. P., Boland, E. A., & Schultz, J. C. (Eds.). (2024). Clinical supervision: A handbook for counselors. Innovative Ink.

Phillips, B. N., Boland, E. A., Edwards, Y. V., & Zanskas, S. A. (2022). Prologue: The future of rehabilitation counseling professional associations. Rehabilitation Counselor and Educators Journal, 11(2).

Schultz, J. C., Soldner, J. L., & Boland, E. A. (2021). Introduction to the special issue on supervision in vocational rehabilitation programs. Journal of Rehabilitation Administration, 42(1), 3-6.

TVR Institute. (2020). TVR handbook.

Sabella, S. A., Bernacchio, C. P., Boland, E. A., & Schultz, J. C. (2019). The conceptualization and assessment of professional dispositions in rehabilitation counselor education. Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education, 33, 198-211. 

Additional publications on Google Scholar

Selected Presentations

Seanez, P. S., & Boland, E. A. (April 28, 2026). Ethical considerations in vocational rehabilitation across communities and cultures. National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC) Ethics Webinar, online.

Dagel, W., & Boland, E. A. (April 28-29, 2026). TVR Journey: New perspective on VR service. Oregon Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation In-Service, Pendleton, OR.

Dagel, W., & Boland, E. A. (April 27, 2026). Medicine wheel: A way of life. Oregon Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation In-Service, Pendleton, OR.

Boland, E. A., & Emanuel, J. (December 3, 2025). Understanding substance use disorder in Native communities: A culturally responsive approach. 2025 Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation Annual Conference, Chandler, AZ.

Nerlich, A., & Boland, E. A. (October 10, 2025). Infusing disability in the counseling curricula: Guidance from rehabilitation counselor educators. 2025 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Boland, E. A., & Emanuel, J. (June 4, 2025). American Indians and Alaska Natives in vocational rehabilitation programs: A scoping review. 2025 Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation Mid-Year Conference, Spokane, WA.

Dagel, W., & Boland, E. A. (May 22, 2025). Challenging perspectives: A cultural lens for the VR process. 2025 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI. 

Quamar, A., & Boland, E. A. (May 22, 2025). Effectiveness of assistive technology provided by blind field services: A longitudinal study. 2025 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI.

Quamar, A., & Boland, E. A. (May 22, 2025). Person-centered survey development using cognitive interviewing: A literature review. 2025 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI.

Dagel, W., & Boland, E. A. (May 21, 2025). Impact of tribal culture on employment. 2025 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI. 

Dagel, W., & Boland, E. A. (May 20, 2025). Challenging perspectives: A cultural lens for the VR process. 2025 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI. 

Boland, E. A., Johnson, D., & Franklin, K. (March 20, 2025). Better together: An overview of the region X VR director and RC educator partnership project. 2024-2025 Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center on Quality Employment Webinar Series, online.

Quamar, A., & Boland, E. A. (February 25, 2025). Effectiveness of assistive technology provided by blind field services: A longitudinal study. 2025 Association for Rehabilitation, Research, Policy, and Education Conference Annual Conference, Savannah, GA.

Boland, E. A., Emanuel, J., & Lee, M. (February 25, 2025). American Indians and Alaska Natives in vocational rehabilitation programs: A scoping review. 2025 Association for Rehabilitation, Research, Policy, and Education Conference Annual Conference, Savannah, GA.

Quamar, A., & Boland, E. A. (February 24, 2025). Person-centered survey development using cognitive interviewing: A literature review. 2025 Association for Rehabilitation, Research, Policy, and Education Conference Annual Conference, Savannah, GA.

Boland, E. A. (January 21-22, 2025). CRCC Code of Ethics. 2025 Alaska VR In-Service, online.

Boland, E. A., & Emanuel, J. (December 5, 2024). Medical and psychosocial aspects of disability: Mental health and traumatic brain injury. 2024 Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Boland, E. A., & Franklin, K. J. (August 21, 2024). Creating collaborative and supportive workspaces – ethics. 2024 Oregon VR In-Service Conference, Salem, OR.

Boland, E. A., & Franklin, K. J. (August 20, 2024). Expedited case management. 2024 Oregon VR In-Service Conference, Salem, OR.

Boland, E. A., & Dagel, W. (May 23, 2024). Development of culturally responsive IPE in shared cases between state agencies and AIVRS projects. 2024 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI.

Quamar, A., Boland, E. A., & Collins, D. M. (May 23, 2024). Smartspeaker: A personal virtual assistant for persons with visual impairments in the community. 2024 National Symposium on Quality Employment, Madison, WI.

Boland, E. A., & Emanuel, J. (December 14, 2023). Medical and psychosocial aspects of disability: Substance use disorder, depression, and anxiety. 2023 Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation Annual Conference, Costa Mesa, CA.

Boland, E. A., & Emanuel, J. (December 13, 2023). Medical and psychosocial aspects of disability: Diabetes, chronic pain, and TBI. 2023 Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation Annual Conference, Costa Mesa, CA.

Boland, E. A. (March 30, 2023). Ableism, microaggressions, and disability etiquette. Skagit Interagency Transition Network monthly meeting series, online.

Boland, E. A., & Tham, M. (November 16, 2022). Professional development and staff retention. American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center monthly webinar series, online.

Boland, E. A. (September 13, 2022). An attitude of gratitude and teamwork. 2022 Oregon VR In-Service Conference, Eugene, OR.

Boland, E. A. (September 13, 2022). Professional boundaries with clients and social media. 2022 Oregon VR In-Service Conference, Eugene, OR.

Levine, A., Henderson, R., Soldner, J., & Boland, E. A. (October 9, 2021). The ethical imperative of anti-racist professional disposition evaluation. 2021 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Dalton, J. A., Nerlich, A., & Boland, E. A. (April 18, 2019). Athena’s daughters: Addressing the needs of women in rehabilitation education and research. 2019 National Rehabilitation Educators Conference, San Diego, CA.

Boland, E. A., Adamson, D., & Allen, R. (April 17, 2019). Infusing tribal vocational rehabilitation information into the RC curriculum: New accreditation requirements. 2019 National Rehabilitation Educators Conference, San Diego, CA.