Denise Rice-Prior
Instructor
Educational Background
- DSW - Walden University - 2020 - Present
- MSW - California State University San Bernardino - 2001
- BS - University of La Verne - 1997
Expertise
Trauma Informed Care; Effects of Trauma on the Brain (specifically understanding behaviors); Crisis and assessment; Intersectionality of Mental Health; Substance Use and Trauma; Social Work Retention (specifically as it relates to grit and joy); Social work self-preservation (also referred to as self-care)
Biography
Denise Rice-Prior is excited to join the Social Work faculty at the USU Tooele campus! Denise has spent the last five years in Wyoming and is relocating to Tooele County. Before this, she spent 18 years in Colorado Springs and was born and raised in Southern California. Denise has a Bachelor's in Sociology with a minor in Criminology from the University of La Verne (1997) and an MSW specializing in mental health from Cal State San Bernardino (2001). She is writing her capstone for her DSW at Walden University on Exploring Grit as a Contributing Factor to Social Work Retention Following Burnout.
Denise has been an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver since 2016. She has been an adjunct faculty member with the USU social work department since August 2023. This past spring, Denise developed the Crisis Intervention Response course for USU, which was approved by the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) and meets the 40 hours of required training for new crisis workers in the state. Since 2018, Denise has worked as a Licensed therapist in both county jails and at the maximum-security prison in Wyoming. She has also spent seven years working in hospital emergency departments in Colorado, performing psychiatric crisis and substance use assessments to determine the need for involuntary placements. Denise's additional practice experience includes child welfare, community mental health, substance use treatment (IOP), clinical supervision, education director/trainer for Raise the Future, and local/ national contract trainer. Denise is an LCSW and Licensed substance use disorder counselor in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, watching movies and series on various streaming platforms, reading, and staying organized.
Denise finds strength and support from her amazing husband, Chris, and their three adult daughters, four dogs, and two cats.