Where adoption occurs not as a singular event, but across a lifetime of becoming.

About

Dr. Ashley M. Toland, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of West Florida. She is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in the field. Her practice experience includes inpatient with adults, school-based social work, community mental health, and child welfare social work. She currently maintains a private practice in Alabama.

Degrees & Institutions

Dr. Toland received her DSW from Tulane University in 2022 and her MSW at the University of Arkansas in 2008. 

Research

  • The Adoption Trauma Spectrum

  • Adoption Across the Lifespan - ongoing study launched October 2025

  • Adult adoptee experiences

  • Child welfare policy reform

  • Adoptee centered mental health care

Learn more
A woman with dark hair, wearing a black turtleneck and gold earrings, smiling at the camera against a plain background.