Physician Profile:

Robert M. Slayden, M.D.

A senior partner of Atlanta Area Family Psychiatry Clinic, P.C., Dr. Slayden received his undergraduate degree, a B.S. in Chemistry, from the University of Miami. He was awarded his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee. After receiving his M.D, Dr. Slayden served as a medicine/pediatric intern at Jackson Memorial Hospital (University of Miami) spending a portion of his internship at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, England in pediatric neurology. Following his internship, Dr. Slayden completed the first two years of his psychiatric residency at Tulane University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. He completed adult psychiatric residency concurrent with his child psychiatry fellowship as well as a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. While in training, he was trained by several of the pioneer family psychiatrists and therapists in the country including Salvador Minuchin, M.D.. Jay Haley, Bralio Montalvo, Milton H. Erikson, M.D., Chloe Madanes, Ph.D. and others. Dr. Slayden came to Atlanta courtesy of the U.S. Army and served as Chief of Neuropsychiatry in the U.S. Army Hospital, Ft. McPherson, Georgia. He achieved the rank of Major during his military tour.

Dr. Slayden, along with Dr. Waugh, founded the Atlanta Area Family Psychiatry Clinic in 1977 with the mission of providing multidisciplinary psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services for children, adolescents, adults and their families. Dr's. Slayden and Waugh developed AAFPC as a child, adolescent, adult and family oriented full service private psychiatric facility for those who need an ongoing therapeutic relationship with their care provider.

In his clinical practice, Dr. Slayden specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents and adults with a range of conditions, including ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Asperger Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Depression, Eating Disorders, Family Conflicts, Learning Disabilities, Marital Problems, Mood Regulation Disorders (Bipolar and other related conditions), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Psychosomatic Disorders, School Problems, Substance Abuse Disorders, Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome. He is fully trained in psychotherapy techniques including individual (child, adolescent, adult), family and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. He utilizes a multimodal approaches in treating patients including judicious use of psychopharmacology (medication) treatments when indicated.

Dr. Slayden has developed a special expertise in forensic (legal) psychiatry with children and adolescents. His forensic experience includes child custody evaluations and testimony, evaluation of juvenile offenders and special education law evaluations as well as court testimony regarding these situations.

He is member of the American Psychiatric Association which recently awarded him Life Membership status. Dr. Slayden is also a member of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Georgia Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Slayden was on the attending staff of Northside Hospital from 1976 until the psychiatric unit at Northside was closed and remained on staff there for several years afterward as a consulting physician. He has been on the staff of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite hospital since 1978 where he has held several positions including Psychiatry Section Chief for many years until the hospital needed to retain a full time attending child psychiatrist.  He has also served on the Quality Assurance Committee, and Continuing Medical Education Committee which for over 10 years developed the annual Pediatric Postgraduate Education course which was popular with physicians from all over the country in maintaining their medical proficiency. He is on the Emory University department of psychiatry faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Psychiatry. He is the past president of the Georgia Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Georgia Association of Psychiatric Administrators and Georgia Council of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Slayden was named as a "Top Doc" by Atlanta Magazine and is also listed in "America's Top Physicians" guide.

Serving the community as a life board member of Mill Springs Academy, a private non-profit special education school, is a significant part of Dr, Slayden's professional life. He also serves as Mill Springs’ program consultant and has been a contributor to all of Mill Springs' campaigns. He is one of the founders of this unique program where he and Tweetie Moore were the architects of Mill Springs’ community/levels system. Dr. Slayden also serves as a consulting psychiatric evaluator for several metro Atlanta county school systems, providing independent evaluations and reports for many children in these systems.

Dr. Slayden and his wife, Beryle, were married while in undergraduate school. Their son, Scott Slayden, M.D., is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist with Reproductive Biology Associates here in Atlanta. Dr. Slayden's daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Slayden, M.D., also practices child, adolescent and adult psychiatry at Atlanta Area Family Psychiatry Clinic.

In his leisure time Dr. Slayden enjoys spending time with his family and three grandchildren. He is often found immersed in one of his many hands on activities including several personal architectural projects or tinkering with mechanical things from his classic automobiles to his 1937 Gar Wood wooden boat. He performs most of his own work in maintaining and keeping them fully functional.

Atlanta Area Family Psychiatry Clinic, P.C.

7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Building 16 Suite 100 ~ Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Telephone (770) 393-1880 ~ Facsimile (770) 393-1885

©  R. Slayden, M.D.

Dr. Slayden's office

Atlanta Area Family Psychiatry Clinic, P.C.

Psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care for adults, children, adolescents and families

since 1977