B.A. in Psychology — St. Mary's College of Maryland
Mr. Nikiforov is a staff therapist at the Family Institute. He specializes in working with individuals experiencing problems with anxiety, worry, obsessive compulsive disorder or depression using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), an evidence-based treatment that research supports as the most effective approach for these issues. He believes in creating a collaborative relationship where client and therapist work as a team: the therapist brings expertise on effective treatment, while the client is the expert on their own life, goals, and values. Together, client and therapist break down the problem, identify the factors that are keeping it going, and decide on active, solution-focused tools to apply. Mr. Nikiforov believes that therapy should be as efficient as possible. The goal-oriented nature of CBT means that for many people, significant benefits are achieved with a short-term treatment of 12 to 20 sessions. Therapy concludes when the client’s goals are reached and they have learned skills they can apply in future challenges.
Mr. Nikiforov completed his MA in Counseling at Northwestern University. After graduation, he took part in a year-long clinical fellowship, specializing in cognitive behavior therapy. During this time, he received intensive training and practice in treatments such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, behavioral activation for depression, and other empirically supported CBT protocols. He has served as an adjunct teaching professor in Northwestern’s counseling program, helping develop an online course in cognitive behavioral therapy for Counseling@NU and teaching CBT courses both on campus and online. He served as coordinator of the Family Institute’s CBT team. Mr. Nikiforov believes in lifelong learning and is a member of the Academy of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT) and Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), attending conferences and trainings annually to stay up-to-date with developments in the field.