Dr. Tara Nelson, LMSW, Ph.D., is a licensed psychotherapist and Clinical Director with over 10 years of experience providing compassionate, evidence-based care to adolescents, young adults, and adults. She specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation challenges, life transitions, relationship stress, school avoidance, and self-esteem concerns.
Tara Nelson, LMSW, Ph.D.
Psychotherapist
Dr. Nelson’s therapeutic style is warm, collaborative, and empowering. She views therapy as a process of self-understanding and growth rather than “fixing” people, helping clients explore their experiences, process emotions, strengthen self-awareness, and develop healthier ways of coping and connecting with others. Her integrative approach draws from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, trauma-informed care, strengths-based interventions, and motivational interviewing.
Dr. Nelson has extensive experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as Black and Brown communities, and is deeply committed to culturally responsive, affirming, and trauma-informed care that honors each client’s identity and lived experience. In addition to her clinical work, she has experience in forensic social work and multidisciplinary consultation related to civil and criminal court matters.
She currently serves as Clinical Director at a therapeutic private school in New York, where she oversees therapeutic programming for adolescents and families. She previously worked at Montefiore Medical Group, providing psychotherapy and mental health support to individuals facing complex medical, emotional, and psychosocial stressors. Dr. Nelson earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Yeshiva University, where her research focused on Black masculinity, race, and mental health treatment engagement among middle-aged Black men.