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Bio

Dr. Rawn Boulden is an associate professor, counseling program coordinator, and on-campus school counseling program coordinator in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at NC State University. Prior to entering academia, he worked as a school counselor and therapist, experiences that continue to inform his research and teaching. His research interests include school counseling, interdisciplinary school mental health collaboration, students with diverse learning needs, rural school communities, and psychometric research. He is a co-author of Assessment for Counselors in School Settings (Cognella), a first-of-its-kind textbook designed to advance K-12 assessment knowledge and practice among school counselors and school-based therapists. Dr. Boulden has secured more than $10 million in federal grant funding as lead principal investigator (PI) to address youth mental health disparities in West Virginia and North Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award, the 2023 West Virginia University Values Coin for research advancing the university’s land-grant mission, and the 2025 Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Outstanding Pre-Tenure Counselor Educator Award, recognizing his exemplary scholarly contributions, commitment to advancing counselor education, and impactful service to the profession.

He earned his Ph.D. and B.S. from Old Dominion University, and an M.Ed. from the University of Maryland. Dr. Boulden is a licensed school counselor (VA), nationally certified counselor (NCC) and school counselor (NCSC), fully-certified Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor, and a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in West Virginia.