A middle-aged man with glasses, white hair, and a beard, wearing a white shirt, smiling in front of a plain grey background—Richard A. Niolon exudes warmth and approachability.

Richard A. Niolon, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Clinical Psychology

Chicago

As a graduate school professor, I teach students how to think critically about the research and scholarly work that guides the practice of our profession, and then how to apply their understanding to real-world clinical practice.

rrniolon@adler.edu Connect on LinkedIn Curriculum Vitae

OVERVIEW

Dr. Niolon is a clinical psychologist and educator with more than 25 years of experience teaching ethical reasoning, systems thinking, and culturally responsive approaches to therapy and assessment. He is known for using technology to enhance learning and for connecting classroom training to real-world practice, ensuring students are prepared to apply their skills in meaningful, community-focused ways.

At Adler University, Dr. Niolon serves as an associate professor of clinical psychology, where he teaches and mentors doctoral students as they develop the clinical and research competencies needed to make an impact in their communities.

Prior to joining Adler, he taught in three other training programs, including one in Louisiana—one of the states with the lowest number of psychologists per capita—where he helped students translate coursework into professional services for underserved populations and across diverse health contexts.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS + ASSOCIATIONS

  • American Psychological Association (APA)
    • Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology
    • Division 26: Society for the History of Psychology
    • Division 43: Society for Couple and Family Psychology
    • Division 44: Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
  • Louisiana Psychological Association

PRESENTATIONS + PUBLICATIONS

Presentations

Things We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About ADHD

2019 Annual Conference of the Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychologists – Baton Rouge, LA
Author(s): Niolon, R. A.

ACT, Willingness, and the Ethics of Informed Consent

2015 ACBS Annual World Conference 13 – Berlin, Germany
Author(s): Niolon, R. A., & Georgescu, S.

Informed Consent in Modern Contextual CBTs

2014 Annual Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science – Chicago, IL
Author(s): Niolon, R. A., & Georgescu, S.

Publications

New Wine in Old Bottles [Review of the book Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Couples: A Clinician’s Guide to Using Mindfulness, Values & Schema Awareness to Rebuild Relationships by A. Lev and M. McKay]

2017 PsycCRITIQUES
Author(s): Niolon, R.

LEADERSHIP + ENGAGEMENT

  • 2021-2024 — Secretary, Louisiana Psychological Association
  • 2020 — Director, Louisiana Psychological Association
  • 2017-2024 — Co-Chair, Professional Affairs Committee of Louisiana Psychological Association
  • 2018-2024 — Crescent City Area Psychological Society, Social Media Chair

RESEARCH INTERESTS

In high school, I read The Thomas Covenant Chronicles by Stephen Donaldson. One of his characters explained his understanding of life as, “permanence at rest and permanence in motion,” and that quote has stuck with me since. Human psychology has been “”at rest”” for generations. How we suffer and how we live “a good life” has remained largely unchanged: Most people still want to feel connected to loving others, do something they enjoy, and leave a meaningful mark on their world.

However, we’ve seen profound changes in life over the decades; the ways we connect and disconnect, leave our mark, and experience love and joy or loss and pain are always “in motion.” I think our job as psychologists is to balance what has not changed with what has, and help others do the same to find their own balance in life.