Dr. Robert Nelson

Unaddressed psychiatric symptoms such as depression or anxiety can undermine progress in recovery, especially in its early stages. Through careful, individualized assessment and collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, Dr. Nelson seeks to minimize the negative impact of underlying mental health conditions. He places particular emphasis on educating patients about the biology of psychiatric illness and the complex interplay between mental health and substance use disorders.

In addition to his work for Caron, Dr. Nelson has been a private practice psychiatrist since 2004 and co-owns a multi-specialty practice with 20 clinicians. While serving as the staff attending psychiatrist at Reading Hospital and Medical Center from 2004 until 2009, Dr. Nelson was the medical director of the Dual Diagnosis Outpatient Clinic and spearheaded the introduction of dialectical behavioral therapy services. He was a senior instructor in the University of Rochester Department of Psychiatry from 2001 until 2003, teaching attending physicians for the general psychiatry inpatient unit and large adult outpatient clinic and educating medical students on daily rounds and in the weekly psychodynamic concepts seminar.

Dr. Nelson was the co-editor of the depression section at PsychU.org from 2014 until 2019, reviewing articles and providing interviews, leading virtual forums, and designing future content. He was a resident in the Duke University Psychiatric Residency Education Program for four years, working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. During his residency, Dr. Nelson researched NMDA receptor agonists in schizophrenia.

He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Nelson has a Doctor of Medicine from Duke University, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Russian studies from Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.