Rivergreen Psychology Group therapist C. Matthew Nichols, PHD smiling and casually sitting on a couch in his office located in the Financial District NYC.

C. Matthew Nichols, PhD

Welcome. In my practice I have extensive experience working with highly driven individuals who may also feel stuck, sad, or increasingly anxious as their usual coping strategies are no longer relieving their distress.  I am a big believer in asking the simple but often profound question, “Is what you’re doing working?”  If it is - great, stay with it.  If not, I will help you understand what may be getting in your way and help you move toward the things you identify as most important to you. 

I will listen closely, offer feedback, support, and insight, and teach you skills to help identify and soothe distressing feelings.  I will encourage you to gradually integrate changes into your daily life to help you move toward the life you want to live.

Prior to my work in private practice and founding Rivergreen Psychology Group, I trained and worked in diverse settings including UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.  I am a former adjunct professor at Fordham University and enjoy working with students and interns. My past roles also include providing treatment for military veterans at the Manhattan VA Medical Center and UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services in several capacities that was often humbling while witnessing their struggles and bravery.

My dissertaion research was the culmination of many years of working with male couples coping with HIV, and I continue to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community both personally and professionally.

Outside of finding fulfillment in my work as a psychologist, I enjoy spending time in nature while exploring the Catskills on foot or two wheels, snowboarding, and nurturing connections with family and friends.

Expertise & Education

  • Interpersonal/Relational Therapy

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Anxiety and Depression

  • ADHD and procrastination/distraction

  • Panic Disorder

  • Mindfulness

  • Executive dissatisfaction and career balance

  • Anxious & Avoidant Patterns

  • Men’s Health

  • Ph.D. Degree, Counseling Psychology (APA Accredited Program) Fordham University

    • Postdoctoral Fellowship:  UCLA Semel Institue for Neuroscience & Human Behavior

    • Predoctoral Internship:  Manhattan VA Medical Center & NYU Child Study Center

  • M.S. Ed. Degree, Counseling Psychology, Fordham University

Advanced Training

  • MNDFL: Mindfulness Certification & Training

  • William Alanson White Institute Intensive Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program
    New York, NY

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Bootcamp w/ Steven Hayes, PhD, Robin Walser, PhD and Kelly Wilson, PhD

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Trauma w/ Brian Mundy, LCSW

  • Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT):  w/ Sue Johnson, PhD & George Faller, LMFT

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy:  Level 1 Clinical Training w/ Drs. John and Julie Gottman

  • Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention:  Penn Center for the Prevention of Suicide w/ Greg Brown, PhD, Marjan Holloway, PhD, & Aaron T. Beck, MD


To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Interested?

Please reach out! I love answering questions about potentially starting therapy and am glad to offer a 20 minute phone consultation where you can voice any questions you may have. Call, email (info below), or send me a message through our contact form and I will be in touch within 24 business hours.