Joshua Nelson, LMFT

Joshua Nelson, LMFT
243 Rugby Road Brooklyn, NY 11226
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Consumer Feedback

(34 Reviews)
Service
4 star average for Service
Environment
4 star average for Environment
Expertise
3 star average for Expertise
Staff
4.5 star average for Staff
Recommended
2.5 star average for Recommended
Value
2.5 star average for Value
Does this psychologist promptly return your phone calls?
Definitely! They always call me back very quickly!
Did this psychologist have reasonable prices?
Yes
Did this psychologist prominently display their diplomas or business license?
Yes
Was this provider's staff friendly?
Yes
Would you refer this psychologist to a family or friend?
Yes, I'm going tell everyone about them. I absolutely love this place!
by Theo Bradford xxx.xxx.21.149
March 07, 2014
I don't know what some of these other reviewers are talking about. They miust have seen another therapist than I saw. Josh is an excellent therapist. I feel like he understands my relationship on a deeper level than even my husband and I do. He gave us practical communication tools that really helped us resolve some of our conflict. We have had sessions with Josh at two points in our relationship. He helped us a few years ago and he was so effective that my partner and I have since gotten married and had a beautiful baby together. When we sought Josh's help again, he remembered everything we had worked on in our earlier sessions. He is honest and straightforward and is certainly not the type of therapist that just sits and passively listens. He is so tuned into my husband and I that he is able to provide great advice which we can implement in our relationship on a daily basis. If you are looking to win an argument or get someone to be "on your side" of an argument, Josh is not your man. He is not about picking sides, but rather works to help you understand your partner on a deeper level. Josh is the type of therapist that always lets you leave feeling better and with constructive things you can do to improve your relationship.

I would highly recommend him to any couple! Josh is worth every penny!
by Courtney Whitmore xxx.xxx.45.172
February 28, 2014
Joshua Nelson, LCSW is not a professional. My wife and I had one brief session with him that concluded at minute 23 with his declaration that he could not help us. The 23 minutes were brutal, comprised of an initial set of abrupt antagonistic questions, our answers to which were continuously incorrect in Mr Nelson's opinion. Next Mr. Nelson expressed some thoughts on my character and asked to speak to my wife alone for 10 minutes. Following that, he spoke to me individually where I was subjected to a routine of Mr. Nelson repeatedly firing off the same set of previously asked antagonistic questions. I, much to his chagrin, continued to answer them incorrectly. There was a slight reprieve when Mr. Nelson had to interrupt the session to attend to his ringing phone. Our 1-on-1 session came to a halt when Mr. Nelson concluded with the fascinating insights -- and these are quotes -- "you can beat the f$&king s$!t out of your wife and you still won't be able to communicate to her" and "you can spill your f$&king guts to her and it will make no difference". Mr. Nelson is not a professional.

He next invited my wife back into the room and launched into yet another set of wildly inaccurate assumptions about our relationship. I interrupted and invited Mr. Nelson to share with my wife some of the wisdoms he parted to me when he and I were alone. He was coy so I shared on his behalf. He initially denied that what I recalled he said was accurate, however on further challenges he acknowledged that he did indeed conduct himself in this manner. He then ended the session and asked for his co-pay - 23 minutes in.

During our session, Mr Nelson felt compelled to share that he has 40 years experience as a professional therapist. His sophomoric methods and his incredibly inaccurate evaluation invites curiosity into whether his current approach is new, experimental and untested or if he is just as burnt out as he sadly appears. A post-session deeper search for client reviews revealed that Mr Nelson's behavior, attitude and general ineptitude is unfortunately familiar to a number of his former clients. In fact it appears that my wife and I were fortunate to be have been dismissed early rather than endure even more egregious mannerisms as others have.

There are many, many great therapists in New York City, Mr. Nelson is not counted among them. Please do yourself -- and perhaps Mr. Nelson too -- a favor and don't stop your search at Joshua Nelson, LCSW. He is not very good at what he professes to do.
by yougottobekiddin xxx.xxx.97.213
February 21, 2014
Did this psychologist have reasonable prices?
No, it was expensive.
Did this psychologist answer all your questions?
None of my questions were answered
Were the waiting room chairs comfortable at this psychologist's office?
Not really
Does this psychologist remember you and your circumstances at every appointment?
Absolutely not! I constantly have to repeat and re-explain my situation!
Is this provider willing to pursue advice from other providers when necessary?
Probably not
by Anonymous xxx.xxx.7.76
February 20, 2014
Dr. Nelson has been providing marriage/couples counseling for 30 or maybe even 40 years, I don't recall exactly, but he has the type of longevity that might lead to either wisdom or burnout. Our experience with him would indicate the latter. His basic philosophy can be summed up: you put all your feelings out there and if you can't meet halfway then you get a divorce. This rather underwhelming view of marriage aside, he didn't create a safe, trusting space in his office; rather, he seemed uncaring, programmatic (by which I mean, he doesn't attempt to understand your problems, but takes a cookie cutter approach), condescending, and rude. He didn't guide us in anyway, didn't ask questions that would help get at some of the underlying issues, etc. This would all be rather laughable, were it not about something as important as our marriage and overall happiness. We halfheartedly returned after the first visit. After two identical visits, we said, this is not the guy for us. I understand that a patient and therapist must click and that just because he wasn't a good match for us, wouldn't preclude him from being good for others. But, based on the tone he sets in the office alone and his rather unfortunate attitude about marriage and perhaps life in general, I would not recommend him. In fact, I would advise anyone to steer clear of him, because a lousy therapist can probably do more harm than good, especially if you are feeling vulnerable and helpless over your situation. Also, we were hit with this same $45/person/visit co-pay that others here have mentioned, which seemed to be bogus, adding insult to injury. In retrospect, I should have inquired with my insurance provider about the validity of those charges. Caveat emptor.
by NYC couple xxx.xxx.26.107
January 14, 2014
I STRONGLY agree with Lindsay's review dated March 4, 2013. His office is located in Brooklyn at 243 Rugby road. He was extremely impatient and judgmental. I got the sense he was on some type of power trip or just didn't care about assisting us. After one session of 30 minutes, he came to the conclusion and stated very firmly "you should get a divorce". How can a qualified doctor come to that kind of conclusion without knowing any history or our relationship? We came to this Quack for help and he discarded 17 years of marriage in 30 minutes. He also deceived us regarding co-pays and charged both my wife and I. If you have 1199 insurance THERE IS NO CO-PAY. I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS QUACK. We paid by credit card so I will be disputing his fraudulent charges as well as reporting him to my insurance fund's Fraud and Abuse department. This man has no business being a part of the mental health profession and his license should be revoked immediately.
by Charles xxx.xxx.148.81
January 08, 2014
I don't think these other reviews are for the same Dr. Nelson that I saw. He has a solo office (no shared waiting room), does not take insurance, and rarely sees couples. Also, his office is not in Brooklyn. More importantly, I had a very positive experience with him. He was always considerate, professional, and very helpful. I know he really cared about me.

Maybe these other reviews are for the other Joshua Nelson, the Family therapist?
by JS xxx.xxx.231.9
September 11, 2013
Was the waiting area spacious?
No, multiple people had to stand
Was it easy to make an appointment with this provider?
No, it took a while
Is this provider easy to reach in an emergency?
No. It took me several times to get through.
Does this provider give unbiased advice?
Definitely not! It was obvious they just wanted to make money!
by Anonymous xxx.xxx.59.39
June 14, 2013
Not only was this therapist somewhat condescending, judgy and impatient, but he is scamming the insurance system. For couples, he asks for "copays" on top of what your insurance charges to account for the hour vs 45 minutes that insurance allots. My insurance company explained that this is a direct violation to his contract and not allowed. When we went to the first (and only session) he then decided to mention that the copay he told me about on the phone was "per person" and asked for double.

Because this felt quite deceptive, I quickly cancelled our next session. Months later, I see on my insurance claims that he went ahead and billed my insurance company for a session that was never even held!

Disqusting.
by lindsay xxx.xxx.139.52
March 04, 2013
I visited Mr. Nelson with regards to my marital issues. I would completely agree with the reviews of my fellows. Did not feel like he cared about my problems at all. I believe that he is just making money, not helping people.
by friend xxx.xxx.130.198
July 31, 2012
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