Professional Background

Nicholas Kicior serves as an adjunct professor in the Counseling Education Master’s Program, specializing in agency and school counseling. Over his career, he has taught CE 530: Techniques of Counseling; CE 650: Special Education and School Counseling; CE 638: Multicultural Counseling; CE 510: Introduction to Counseling; CE 540: Diagnosis of Psychopathology; CE 636: Ethical and Legal Issues; CE 511: Advanced Human Growth and Development; CE 640: Addictions; CE 500: Research Methods; CE 649: Family Therapy; and CE 550: Group Counseling.

Nicholas Kicior holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Spanish along with a Master’s and Advanced Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from St. Bonaventure University. Additionally, he has earned a Master’s of Arts in School Psychology, is a licensed therapist and nationally certified counselor, and is currently completing his Doctor of Psychology degree at Alfred University.

Kicior has extensive direct therapeutic experience with both children in residential treatment facilities and adults in outpatient clinics and community-based settings. His background includes a specialization in sexual abuse and victimization, trauma and trauma-informed care, eating, anxiety, and depressive disorders. In addition to providing direct care, Kicior has directed adult ambulatory services within six counties in rural Pennsylvania. He has both management and supervisory experience in mental health settings, working with managed care organizations, county administrators, and private insurance companies. His prior experience also centered on delivering family-based services and working with children and adults in the IDD and mental health arenas. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at St. Bonaventure University in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, a licensed therapist conducting virtual therapy, and a psychologist within a school setting.

Kicior also served as the Director of Quality and Outcomes for a large mental health agency, where he managed the collection and analysis of clinical outcomes and quality indicator data across several agencies, evaluating client data to ensure that care is provided in accordance with clinical guidelines, organizational standards, and managed care value metrics. As the director of all performance improvement initiatives, Kicior assisted with Joint Commission accreditation and individual program licensing adherence. Additionally, Kicior was the Executive Lead for a Trauma Learning Collaborative, working with the Behavioral Health Alliance of Rural Pennsylvania. He has helped connect clinicians to trauma-focused treatment training that includes TF-CBT, CPT, Seeking Safety, and Trauma Art Narrative Therapy.

In addition to conducting psychological evaluations for children and adults that include behavioral, social-emotional, and intelligence assessments, Kicior continues to see clients for therapy of all ages through an online platform and as a psychologist for a local school district. He will be completing his doctoral degree, focusing on trauma, developing a sense of belonging, and improving performance within the classroom.

Kicior’s philosophy has always been one of utility. Making the textbook come alive and applying the textbooks to real people should be top priorities, in addition to working collaboratively with the students to meet their needs. Recognizing that students will have their own passions, desired populations, and foci, it is critical that the professor and students can work as a team to develop and sharpen specific skill sets, identify critical resources, and create a network of support that will last well into their professional careers. His current research projects include topics on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and social alienation. Kicior lives in Bradford, PA, with his two children, dogs, and reptiles. He loves to coach and play soccer and is very invested in his X-Men collectibles.

Academic Degrees

• Alfred University, PsyD, 2021–present
• Alfred University, MA in School Psychology, 2021
• St. Bonaventure University, Advanced Certification, 2008
• St. Bonaventure University, MSED, Agency Counseling, 2006
• St. Bonaventure University, BS, Psychology and Spanish, 2004