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Department: Human Services and Counseling

Shawn Worthy

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Shawn Worthy, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Human Services at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Worthy began his career as an instructor at Northern Illinois before working in many clinical settings for behavioral and therapeutic services. He joined MSU Denver in 1995 and received tenure in 2002. Worthy has served as the chair of the Human Service Department, as well as the interim vice president of the Student Services Division and has also worked as the director of Mentoring and Summer Bridge Programs with Student Services at MSU Denver. He currently serves as the MSU Denver NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative. Worthy has also worked as a clinician and psychotherapist at the Children’s Hospital of Denver and The Urban League of Denver.

He has done research and published work extensively about sports psychology on how all levels of skiers cope with fear. Additionally, Worthy has conducted research on domestic violence, teen suicide and other issues related to children and families. He has worked clinically with adults and teens infected with HIV. Worthy has researched, published and presented at many conferences and workshops striving to understand diversity as it pertains to engaging people of color. He currently serves on several community boards and commissions, which focus on youth and violence.

Worthy received his doctorate and master’s in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University.

Tara Tull

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Tara Tull, M.S., is an emeritus professor and former chair in the Department of Human Services and Counseling at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

She joined MSU Denver in 1990 as coordinator of Women’s Services and was named associate director of the Institute of Women’s Studies and Services in 1996, a position she held for 14 years. Tull served as an assistant dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and co-wrote the proposal to create what’s now known as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services on campus, which is celebrating its 25th year in 2018. Additionally, she helped create the Scholarship Center and the Students to Watch awards program, which recognizes students who have overcome major obstacles to get an education.

Tull is trained as a mediator and gives presentation on a variety of issues relating to conflict. She is involved with the statewide Women of Color Conference and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Peace Breakfast, helped establish the LGBTQ Student Services Office on the Auraria Campus and has advocated for physical accessibility to the National Historic Register houses on campus. Tull is committed to social justice education with emphasis on gender, sexual identity and multicultural awareness.

She received her master’s in women’s studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a bachelor’s in women’s studies from University of Colorado, Boulder.

Mark Stephenson

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Mark Stephenson, MPA, is a affliate professor member in the Department of Human Services and Counseling – Fire and Emergency Response Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include incident command, fire, hazardous materials, tabletop exercises and interfacing with state and federal agencies. He currently teaches Fire-Related Human Behavior, Fire Dynamics and Fire Prevention, Organization and Management.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Stephenson worked for 36 years in fire service. He served as deputy chief, was a founding member of a hazardous-materials team and spent time as a paramedic. He served as an EMS bureau director, exercising oversight of the paramedic program. Stephenson also served as chief of planning, on-line battalion chief, shift commander and deputy chief of Administration Services. He eventually returned to the line as chief officer and finished out his last few years in fire service as battalion chief.

He is an active volunteer in the community and chairs the Aurora Federal Credit Union Board of Directors. Stephenson also serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Community Mental Health Center and is an active advocate for mental-health care in the community. Stephenson has been awarded the Exemplary Employee award and Citation for Actions award for working on an underground-interstate-pipeline fire.

He received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. He also holds several specialty certificates.

Nancy Rich

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Nancy Rich, M.A., is an affiliate professor in the Department of Human Services in Counseling at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of expertise include psychology and counseling for first responders, trauma, crisis intervention, emotional ramifications of terrorism, first responder stress and emergency mental health. She teaches Advanced Behavioral Analysis, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma Informed Care, Trauma Resilience to Terrorism, Disaster and War, Psychopathology and the Mental Health Clinician, among others.

Rich has been teaching at the college level for 30 years. Prior to joining MSU Denver, she worked as an instructor at Red Rocks Community College, Saint Anthony’s Hospital Paramedic School, and Denver Sheriff’s Department Academy teaching a variety of subjects in criminal justice and emergency response. Rich also has years of experience in the mental health field working as a program manager and clinical supervisor for trainees. She has earned the Outstanding Contributions in the Field award from both the American Critical Incident Stress Foundation and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. She also received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Internation Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

Her areas of research include mental health issues within emergency response personnel, crisis intervention, and disaster response. Rich is the author of “Critical Incident Stress: An Occupational Hazard” published in Colorado Trooper. She is the co-author of “Summer Therapeutic Program – STEP: A Hospital Alternative for Children” published in Behavior Modification Approaches To Parenting. Rich has given nearly a dozen presentations and appearances to speak on topics like The Columbine Shooting and Hurricane Katrina.

Rich earned her Master’s degree in psychology from University of Northern Colorado in 1980. She earned two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kansas – one in human development and the other in sociology – in 1971 and 1968, respectively. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor and a certified trauma specialist.

Tricia Hudson-Matthew

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Tricia Hudson-Matthew, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Human Services and director of the Center for Addiction Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches about Legal and Ethical Issues in the Helping Profession, Family System, Motivational Interviewing Conflict Resolution, and Decision-making Skills.

Hudson-Matthew performs clinical work at a private practice with individuals with substance abuse, couples counseling, and children ages 5 and up as a certified play therapist. Prior to joining MSU Denver, she worked as a therapist and clinical case manager at the Mental Health Center of Denver. Hudson-Matthew was also the clinical director and child and family therapist at the Council on Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

Her scholarly interests are in ethics between therapists and clients, mental health, and addictions. She has given presentations and published her work about mental health, ethics, domestic violence, self-esteem, addiction, grief and loss, and motivational interviewing techniques.

Hudson-Matthew received her educational doctorate in Counseling Education and Supervision from Argosy University in 2012, a master’s in Clinical Behavioral Healthcare from the University of Northern Colorado in 2004 and a bachelor’s in Human Services from MSU Denver.

Scott Heiss

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Scott Heiss is an affiliate faculty member the Department of Human Services – Fire and Emergency Response Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include fire department administration, structural firefighting, incident command and fire department physical and mental wellness. He currently teaches Personnel Development for Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Heiss served as the Division Chief of Safety and Training for the Denver Fire Department. During his time at the Denver Fire Department, he also worked as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain, and assistant chief/district chief. Heiss also worked within a partnership between the Denver Fire Department and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, where he developed and taught classes on mental health awareness for those in the line of duty.

He currently serves as a member on the board of directors for Building Warriors, a mental health counseling organization for first responders. Heiss received his bachelor’s degree in education from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 1985.

Anne Hatcher

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Patrick Griswold

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Patrick Griswold, MSN, M.Ed., RN, is an associate professor in the Department of Human Services and Counseling and a clinical instructor in the Department of Nursing at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include addiction medicine, mental health, counseling, affective learning and interprofessional education. He currently teaches Introduction Human Services; Pharmacology of Drugs and Alcohol; Addiction, Immunity and Infectious Diseases and oversees internships.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Griswold worked as a course coordinator and adjunct faculty at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He was also an instructor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and New York University. Griswold has worked as a staff nurse in addiction treatment services.

Griswold received his master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2011. He received an additional master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamilton College in 1986. Griswold is also a Registered Nurse, Licensed Addictions Counselor, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor I and Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Scott DeMuro

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Scott DeMuro, Ph.D, is the former director of the Center for Addiction Studies and emeritus professor in the Human Services Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. DeMuro has served as chair of the Colorado Addiction Counselor Board of Examiners and as a consultant to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and the Counselor Certification and Training for Division of Behavioral Health of the Colorado Department of Human Services. He is past-president of the Colorado Association of Addiction Professionals (formerly the Society of Addiction Counselors of Colorado), past member of the Board of Directors of NAADAC, member of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education and the National Organization for Human Services.

Annie Butler

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Lynann “Annie” Butler is a professor in the Human Services Department and interim chair of the Rita and Navin Dimond Department of Hotel Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Certified Addictions Counselor Level III and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Colorado at Denver.

She founded Professional Counseling Services, Inc. in Denver in 2002, providing a six-week intervention program for students facing suspension from high schools in five different school districts. She has worked in the field since 1991, and has shared her “wisdom, mistakes and humor with students” at MSU Denver since 2002. In 2012, she was the Human Services nominee for the US Professor of the Year Award, and has also received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Faculty Senate at MSU Denver.

On her recent sabbatical, she traveled to Laos to research Hmong refugees and the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, MN, the largest comprehensive museum about the “secret war” in Southeast Asia, which began in 1963. She has recently completed and submitted Walking With Tigers, a book about a Hmong refugee whom she first met while recruiting guest speakers for her classroom.

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