Meet our psychiatric team
All our psychiatrists are experts in the biological foundations and treatment of a wide range of mental health disorders, including GAD, OCD, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. They have extensive clinical experience working with professionals in demanding careers who are navigating focus, motivation, and emotional well-being under high pressure.
Evelyn Noriko Nelson, M.D.
Washington State Department of Health License Number: MD61138404
Dr. Nelson is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who provides compassionate, collaborative, evidence-based psychiatric care. She is passionate about helping people find more ease, purpose, and joy in life.
As a general psychiatrist, Dr. Nelson provides comprehensive care across a broad range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, OCD, PTSD, mood disorders, and ADHD. She brings particular depth to working with patients navigating major life transitions — such as moving to college, entering the workforce or changing careers, coping with the loss of a loved one, and perimenopausal changes. Dr. Nelson is also passionate about providing culturally informed, affirming care to BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ patients, and is committed to creating a space where all patients feel seen and heard. Above all, she is driven by helping her patients feel more like themselves.
Dr. Nelson earned her medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, and completed her psychiatry residency at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, where she served as chief resident for the interpersonal therapy clinic. She has published research in the American Journal of Psychiatry and contributed to studies sponsored by Stanford, the NIH, and UC San Diego.
Before medical school, Dr. Nelson earned highest honors in religious studies at UC Berkeley, with a concentration in Buddhism. She enjoys watching horror films, rock climbing, yoga, listening to 90’s music, and spending time with her family.
Dr. Nelson's clinical practice is focused on working with patients in the following age range: 18 to 60
Peter David Reiss, M.D.
Washington State Department of Health License Number: MD60930116
Dr. Reiss has years of experience treating a wide range of anxiety disorders (such as GAD and OCD), mood disorders (such as MDD and bipolar disorders), trauma-related disorders (such as PTSD), as well as ADHD and insomnia.
His professional experience includes various multidisciplinary mental health settings, as well as supervising medical students and psychiatric residents. He has worked in multiple levels of care in the Seattle area, including inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization and residential treatment programs, consultation-liaison psychiatry, as well as in the psychiatric emergency room.
After finishing medical school, Dr. Reiss worked on mental health research through the UK’s National Health Service and at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London.
Dr. Reiss completed his psychiatric residency at the New York State Office of Mental Health in New York City, working in a variety of settings including at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center and Columbia University Medical Center. He was involved in multiple scholarly projects, including developing diagnostic tools for prodromal psychosis and early intervention for people at risk of developing psychotic disorders. He won his program’s Resident of the Year Award and also served as chief resident.
Dr. Reiss's clinical practice is focused on working with patients in the following age range: 18 to 60
Elizabeth Richards Hersey, M.D.
Washington State Department of Health License Number: MD61312467
Dr. Hersey provides comprehensive ADHD care, including detailed diagnostic evaluations, evidence-based treatment planning, and personalized ADHD medication management. She also supports patients facing burnout, workplace stress, and career-related mental health challenges, helping them build sustainable strategies for performance, balance, and well-being.
Before joining Seattle Anxiety Specialists, Dr. Hersey earned her medical degree and completed her psychiatric residency at the University of Washington, where she was Outstanding Chief Resident, served on the Residency Admissions Committee, and co-led the Perinatal Psychiatry Pathway.
She has collaborated with leaders in Women’s Mental Health across the University of Washington and various other institutions nationwide to provide lectures and panels on topics of Reproductive, Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health. She has authored publications and a book chapter on topics including integrated women’s mental health care, infertility and the role of doulas in perinatal mental health care.
Her background includes considerable research experience with Harvard University, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Washington.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Hersey played varsity soccer in college, has volunteered as an assistant coach and in local schools and scout troops, and co-owns a Seattle photography studio with her husband.
Dr. Hersey also serves as our clinic’s older adult (60+) mental health specialist.
Dr. Hersey's clinical practice is focused on working with patients in the following age range: 18 years of age and older