I am reporting you to the state's medical board for insurance fraud. Charging our insurance company for a canceled appointment is not only fraudulent, but unprofessional, and honestly rather scary. You are a poor excuse for a therapist, and I am very happy that we never met with you. I've already notified our insurance company that your claim was fraudulent. The only reason I gave one star is because I couldn't post this without it. Beware yelpers. Insurance fraud and basically just not a "normal" therapist. read more

Let me start off by saying that my marriage of over a decade did sadly come to an end. But we went down after doing a tremendous amount of work, and I'm proud of both of us for that. I feel that the work my ex and I did with Josh was invaluable. I am no stranger to the heavy lifting that it takes to do powerful self examination. It's not easy , and often feels like an unforgiving, naked and raw process, which is why one has to cultivate the muscles of self forgiveness and gentleness so powerfully, so that when you really have to look in the mirror and see all of the difficult things, you can have the bravery to move forward. It sounds like a lot of the people here did not like Josh's style. But both my ex and I couldn't have appreciated it more. He didn't waste our time by coddling either of us about the challenges ahead, about the sacrifices and compromises we both would have to take and make in order to save our marriage. He was zero bullshit, which was such a relief and frankly a much more efficient use of our time. I found him to be compassionate, but even better that it was unadorned--it was borne of a profound understanding of the intense spiritual and psychological undertaking it is to be in a long term committed partnership. He believed in what was possible for us, but had no illusions about the possible roads ahead. We both had to come up against ourselves. I love that he didn't waste our time or mince words, but got straight to the business of the work of healing. I can see how he's not for everyone. But if you want someone who doesn't suffer fools, and who's willing to really go there with you if you're brave enough to do the work, I thought he was great, and have recommended him since. If what you need is a super super gentle touch, then maybe look elsewhere. (He's not mean or anything, he's just not going to pet your ego as a way of gaining trust). I 100% recommend him. read more

You never saw me because I refused to get ripped off by someone who I am supposed to trust. We did speak on the phone and you explained your policy to me. Interesting that you take the time to check your reviews here... Have a great day read more

Joshua is wonderful and my husband and I are so happy to have had therapy sessions with him. He is an excellent listener and speaks candidly. He addresses issues directly to the point and really pushes the envelope in getting to the source of the problem. My husband and I came to him when we were having issues with our marriage and while Joshua's approach can come off slightly abrasive, as New Yorkers, we appreciated the candid approach. One of the best parts of working with Joshua is his persistence in directly communicating to your partner throughout the session versus us just speaking to him. We enjoyed our time with Joshua and felt extremely comfortable with him. read more

I had the same experience as Stephanie and Nella essentially. Ridiculous. Suggested a divorce after 2 sessions , charging double copay, and not saying a word except " what do you think other people do" . Thank god we found a real therapist and solved our issues , it's been over 2 years and we're happier than we have been in 10 years. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS QUACK read more

Wow I am so happy that I see other people who had a negative experience with this doctor. I found him to be rude and not helpful. I highly recommend avoiding this doctor. Looking at the other reviews it seems like it's a consensus for all. read more

Joshua Nelson spends most of his time writing positive reviews about himself here and elsewhere; or employs some online reputation repair service, because the language in every positive review here and on other sites is completely boilerplate and suspiciously similar. Don't believe it. Josh Nelson is terrible in so many ways that one hardly knows where to begin. We went to this clown before deciding to take our business elsewhere. The decision to seek a marriage counselor is not an easy one. I didn't know what to expect, but at the very least, I expected a professional environment by which I mean someone who is respectful, thoughtful, and engaging. Josh Nelson is none of those things. He is caustic, negative, angry, and vulgar. He's clueless. The sessions with him amounted to little more than lectures about marriage without ANY interest in our specific troubles. He made absolutely no effort to know us, and as a result was in no position to help us. He didn't appear to have any methodology, no focus, and no purpose. His website has some nice copy, all of which is just a cut and paste job from books by accomplished therapists. He positioned himself as someone trained in EFT, yet he's not in the NY Center for EFT's directory of people in the NYC area with the credentials to offer this counseling. One reviewer here suggests that people didn't like him because he doesn't pet their egos, nor does he suffer fools. Please. Those of us who went to Josh Nelson are the ones who suffered a fool. I'm a caustic native New Yorker, make no mistake about it, but there's a time and a place for that, and the first 30 minutes or hour with a couple you've never met is NOT that time, nor that place. Several sessions in when you sense the participants aren't getting it, yeah, sure. But you can't criticize people you do not know. That's just garbage. A good counselor creates a safe space, most importantly in the first couple of sessions, so that each person can open up truthfully and honestly. That doesn't mean petting egos, suffering fools, or entertaining BS. No, no, no. What it means is demonstrating empathy, showing a willingness to listen and understand two people you have never met before. Once you've established trust and safety, then you are in a position to be critical. This man has no communication skills whatsoever. His response to a damning review here was to say "you seemed nervous." Well, my, my, my, you think? No, going to open up to a stranger about your marriage, your intimate life, your emotions and feelings---no, you wouldn't expect anyone to be nervous or uncomfortable doing that. It's like an auto mechanic saying, well you seemed to have problems with your car and I just didn't know what to do about it. Seriously, Nelson, what is wrong with you? And, if there is one thing that says everything about this charlatan it's the fact that he charged us money on top of the co-pay, a completely illegal practice. Counseling requires a high level of trust. How can you trust someone who lies to you before you even get in the door? New York City has no shortage of marriage counselors. Don't bother with this fraud. read more

I regret that we hadn't seen these reviews before walking into Josh Nelson's office. My husband and I went in on a particularly difficult day, and unfortunately walked out after 20-30 min. (left early) feeling worse. As with others, he charged us double co-pay, which according to our insurance statement, was an over-charge. When we've seen a therapist, my husband and I have tried to be as fair and clear as possible in describing our challenges, and to remain humble in what we may learn. We aren't wilting flowers, we appreciate honest and direct communication. We're conscientious about helping the therapist to understand us and we come in with a high degree of self awareness. We take great care in improving our relationship and to the best of our ability, try to support and give compassion to other couples who suffer through the difficulties that inevitably come up in trying to co-create a life with someone who is different from you. In our opinion, Josh Nelson was simply a poor practitioner. He didn't ultimately tune into the needs we walked in with, as much as we tried to facilitate his understanding, he wasn't able to meet us halfway. Unfortunately, the experience was a deep disappointment on a day that was already very hard. We can't in good conscience recommend his services to anyone. For Josh: Your work in supporting couples in pain is a tremendous responsibility and, to your best ability, a commitment to do no harm. Aspiring to be a worthy practitioner means it's important to never rest on your laurels even if (or especially if) you've been in practice a long time. If possible, for the sake of future clients, I would suggest that you seek mentorship or renewed supervision from a stronger therapist who can provide regular feedback about your client engagement. If you haven't yet, I also hope that you will take the time to seek and consider your clients' feedback and understand what you may do differently to improve on the much needed practice you provide. read more

I just went over my insurance papers for 2017. My husband visited Mr. Nelson once in April and concluded it was not a fit. My insurance company was billed twice, with a diagnosis, for one visit. The insurance rejected the second claim as a duplicate. My husband had paid for the visit in cash. read more

He put us on camera without our knowledge and before asking permission to videotape. Then insisted on a double copay, saying he would bill both our insurances for the same session (which is fraud). Creepy. read more

By far the worst experience ever. My husband and I went to Joshua to help us understand why our marriage was heading in divorce. For 15 minutes Joshua Nelson allowed my husband to say everything negative about me and never allowed me to talk. After 15 minutes he said "ok you guys are done I can't help you. Get a divorce and let this be a lesson to the both of you." I was hysterical in tears and he could have cared less. Very unprofessional and rude. This mans license needs to be taken away. read more

Visited Josh at a difficult time in my life when I felt so lost and confused after the end of a 7 year relationship about 4 years ago, and he was a great help. I can understand why some people may have found his approach and demeanor abrasive (comes across like your typical no-nonsense New Yorker), but it worked for me and my personality and what I needed at the time. He didn't coddle me, and he cut to the chase and didn't let me waste time ruminating about nonsense during the session. If you want someone who is going to hold your hand and let you cry on his shoulder for an hour, I don't think he's the therapist for you, but if you're not into someone blowing smoke up your butt and letting you waste the majority of your hour-long session boohooing, give him a shot. I'm engaged now (to a different person), and I'm pretty sure that part of the reason I'm able to be in a healthier relationship is from the work I did with Josh for about 7-8 months. I'm still a work in progress, but hey, who isn't? read more

Spare your selves!!!! My husband and I went to his Manhattan office; how he has a license to practice is beyond us. He obviously has a problem with women, he would ask my husband what i have done to offend him and then would instigate it by saying "oh, she went there" then would barley ask me what was bothering me. In the first 10 he basically told us to go our separate ways. He said that if u "don't fight you don't fuck" WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!!!! He then kept basically try to talk us out of working things out. He wanted to record us and when we decline gave us an attitude. When we told him we were married two years but together 11 yrs he made a noise as if we are in trouble. He didn't direct us with anything but rather was negative the entire time and seemed as if he wanted us to give up. When i mentioned things i loved about my husband he replied "oh there is something positive in a condescending sarcastic voice. He had no people skills, speaks like he has marbles in his mouth, then when you ask him to repeat himself he makes an annoyed face expression. There is a problem when the couple walks out feeling worse than they came in because they had someone that knew them five minutes say we were better off divorced. In describing what id like for my husband to do he says " people don't change" SO HOW ARE YOU IN BUSINESS!!!!!!! He does not believe in change in positive outcomes. There must be baggage he is carrying from being hurt in the past that you not only tried to discourage us from seeking help but also staying together and he has done it to other couples as well. Then when my husband describes he is passive he says he's a "PUSSY"!!! There is a difference and who the HELL uses that language with their clients??? I would go back if i needed someone to talk me into jumping off a building. The most disgusting experience we have ever had. The one star is because i needed it to write a review. Our chances are better with no therapy than with his!!! read more