Joy Richardson

Biography

Joy Lynn Richardson, DSW, MTS, LCSW, joined the Belmont faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2026. Dr. Richardson previously served on the faculty of University of Kentucky College of Social Work, National Louis University, and Aurora University teaching courses in field education, trauma-informed care, direct practice skills, and advanced clinical practice.

Dr. Richardson brings 20 years of social work practice experience with youth and families from under resourced, multi-stressed communities in Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago. She obtained a BS in Child Development and a MSW from the University of Georgia and a graduate degree in theological studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Dr. Richardson’s passion for training and mentoring social workers led to pursuing a DSW in social work education from the University of Kentucky, where her research focus was integrating self-care as a practice skill within social work programs.

Dr. Richardson enjoys connecting with students who are exploring the many possibilities within social work practice and aligning classroom opportunities with professional goals. Her classes often include multiple learning modalities to encourage collaborative learning.

She is grateful to join the Belmont community and enjoy all that Nashville has to offer! She can often be found listening to a great audiobook or podcast while wandering through parks, farmers markets, and coffee shops and cheering on her soccer-playing family.