Dian Grier

Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 18+ years of experience working in high-acuity mental health environments, including maximum-security corrections, crisis response, substance use treatment, and private practice. I bring rare, hands-on expertise in suicide risk evaluation and psychiatric level-of-care determinations, including final clinical authority in Outpatient Housing Unit (OHU) settings. I independently built and led an entire prison mental health department from the ground up, developing programs later adopted statewide across the California Department of Corrections.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with extensive clinical experience across crisis response, correctional settings, hospice care, and community mental health. My work has included supporting individuals in acute psychological distress, men incarcerated in prison settings, and people navigating serious illness and end-of-life transitions. In addition to direct clinical practice, I have written on mental health, trauma, and resilience for nationally recognized journals, translating complex psychological concepts into accessible, practical insights.

This combination of frontline clinical work and published writing has led to my work being sought out as an informed perspective grounded in real-world experience rather than theory alone.

I hold university degrees in social work and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with advanced training in evidence-based trauma treatment. I am EMDR-trained and have served as a suicide prevention trainer, including train-the-trainer roles focused on risk assessment, crisis intervention, and safety planning. My education and professional development emphasize practical, frontline application, equipping clinicians and community members to respond effectively to trauma, suicidal ideation, and acute mental-health crises across diverse settings.