Dr. Richard Hydo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a UAMFT approved supervisor, and a Certified Family Life Educator. He is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work program, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prior to joining the faculty with Salt Lake Community College, he taught full-time for seven years with Utah Valley University within the Family Science, Social Work, and Master of Marriage and Family Therapy programs. Additionally, he served for three years as an administrator and clinical director for the UVU Stronger Families Program.

As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Hydo is a firm believer in the benefits and opportunities derived from academic pursuits. He holds great passion for inspiring and teaching our next generation of leaders and feels a deep sense of responsibility to afford students of color the opportunity to see themselves within faculty of like backgrounds, while expanding their understanding of their academic and career opportunities.

Dr. Hydo completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Social Work with the University of Utah, a Master of Business Administration with Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Social Work with an emphasis in advanced clinical practice with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Prior to entering the field of mental health, Dr. Hydo completed coursework and licensure as an insurance agent, mortgage officer, stockbroker, and investment advisor representative where he provided sundry planning and financial services to Utah families and companies for a decade.

Civically, Dr. Hydo has previously served as a neighborhood Precinct Chair, Senate District 3 Chair, and as a member of the Salt Lake County GOP executive committee.

Dr. Hydo met his wife during his first semester of graduate school at the University of Utah. Together they are the proud parents of two chatty and inquisitive daughters and a rambunctious, energetic son. Dr. Hydo’s hobbies include spending quality time with his family in the mountains, site seeing God's Country in his vintage RV, and spending time with Ohana exploring his Hawaiian roots on the islands.

Dr. Elijah Nielson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (“LCSW”) and an Attorney at Law. Prior to accepting an appointment at SLCC, Dr. Nielson served asa full-time faculty member at Utah Valley University and is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles. While at UVU, he also served successfully as the Director of the Masters of Social Work (“MSW”) Program from 2019-2022. During that time Dr. Nielson courageously guided the MSW Program through the COVID-19 pandemic and, under his leadership, the MSW Program expanded its online course offerings, implemented a student-placement agreement with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and obtained accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education (“CSWE”). Dr. Nielson holds advanced degrees in law (JD, LLM), social work (PhD, MSW) and is currently an MBA-candidate at Southern Utah University. In addition, Dr. Nielson holds a certificate in Film and TV Essentials from New York University Tisch School of the Arts (in association with IndieWire and Rolling Stone) and is the writer, producer, and director of the award-winning short film “When a child comes out”.

As a social worker with over two-decades of ongoing professional experience, Dr. Nielson is passionate about bringing cutting-edge, real-life practice examples into the classroom. The assignments he gives his students can be described as “onboarding-for-professional-practice” in the context of an academic setting; he places a very strong emphasis on ensuring his students receive both an academic and a competency-based education. Additionally, as an attorney with over a decade of continuing professional practice, Dr. Nielson ensures that his students know how to competently apply professional ethics and relevant law to the messiness of real-life practice. Dr. Nielson’s legal and social work practice informs his teaching, and his teaching likewise informs his practice.

Dr. Nielson is also an Army and Army Medical Department (“AMEDD”) Officer in the US Army Reserves and is affiliated with the US Army Medical Department Regiment. He currently serves as a Division Behavioral Health Consultant and is a graduate of AMEDD’s Basic Officer Leadership Course and the US Army Master Resilience School’s Master Resilience Trainer Course. In his spare time Dr. Nielson runs, rides horseback, writes novels and screenplays, skis, snowboards, and spends time with his spouse and their large family.

My greatest passion is creating learning environments – both educationally and professionally – wherein those that may feel, look different or have experienced life that has resulted in some challenging paths find a positive identity, personal value and develop skills in individual empowerment.

I’ve worked as a licensed social worker within many different environments with many different groups and peoples in the community, I’ve also developed and ran many different programs throughout my career, yet I’ve always been a teacher at heart. Regularly, I feel the undeniable energy in being a catalyst for the expanding of thought, consideration of fresh ideas and examination of new concepts never before conceived.

I hold a B.A. in Political Science and an MSW with a specialization in Community Organization and Administration from the University of Utah. I’ve been at SLCC since 1996, retiring as a tenured Professor from the SLCC Social Work program yet returning now to support the newly developed certification programs and even teach in the programs. As the current Field Coordinator, I will be supporting you in your field placements where you will have the opportunity to take your knowledge from theory to actual practice in the field!

Genuine joy is found surrounded by loving family and friends while embracing new experiences, new peoples, languages and cultures, foods and countries around the world.

Education

• BA from Brigham Young University in Marriage, Family, Human Development
• MSW from Temple University - Clinical Practice Concentration Experience

Experience

• Outpatient Counselor/Mental Health Counselor at addiction treatment center
• Red Cross as emergency mental health responder
• SLCC prison education program professor

Biography

• 4 kids that I have homeschooled for 11 years
• Certified Yoga instructor (received training in the foothills of the Himalayas in India)
• Loves to travel -- been to over 25 countries and almost all 50 states (currently living in Cairo)