Nelson Rivera, LICSW, LCSW

Nelson Rivera is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience addressing HIV/AIDS, substance use, and behavioral health concerns. He holds a master’s degree from New York University and is a candidate for a PhD in Organizational Psychology, combining clinical experience with a deep interest in how systems and organizations influence individual well-being.

Over the course of his career he has supported people facing depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, LGBTQA+ concerns, career challenges, and multiple chronic medical diagnoses. He has extensive experience helping adults explore how childhood trauma may continue to shape emotions, behavior, and relationships in later life. He draws on practical therapeutic techniques to help individuals move through ambivalence and make meaningful changes.

His counseling style is described as warm, interactive, and straightforward; he emphasizes respect, dignity, sensitivity, and compassion in the therapeutic process. He focuses on how thoughts can influence behavior and commonly uses cognitive behavioral strategies and motivational interviewing to help clients overcome barriers. He avoids rigid labels and adapts sessions and treatment plans to meet each person’s unique needs and goals. He works to support and empower people who are ready to redesign aspects of their lives so that those lives better fit who they are.