Dr. Alan Acre
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Before I became a licensed clinical psychologist, I enlisted in into the U.S. Army in 1999 as a combat medic and later commissioned as an Army officer. While serving in the military I was deployed to Iraq (OIF) as a Combat Advisor, for the 1st Infantry Division in Baghdad, Iraq. Following my deployments and 15 years of military service I was honorably discharged and started pursuing my education in mental health.

  

I graduated cum laude with a doctorate in clinical psychology. My research includes publications and presentations in trauma, veteran homelessness, Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), substance use, sexual violence, child abuse, and posttraumatic growth. I previously trained in the VA medical system with experts in PTSD, moral injury, suicide prevention, substance use, outpatient general mental health, couples, and families. For three years I trained at Veteran’s Village of San Diego (VVSD), where I performed treatments for trauma, substance use, moral injury, general mental health, and conducted trauma testing for our nation’s veterans. I also trained at Sharp Mesa Vista in the “Veterans and Trauma (PTSD) clinic” and the outpatient substance use, “Dual Diagnosis clinic.” I completed a yearlong psychoanalytic fellowship at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy. I also completed training in adolescents and teen counseling at New Haven Youth and Family Services in Vista, CA. Lastly, I am trained in evidence based trauma therapies for treating PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). 

 

Prior to my current role, I was the Clinical Director and founder of the “Advanced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic” based in San Diego, CA. During my years as a clinical director, I created and managed several PTSD clinics across California that specialized in psychological services for first responders. Over the years I advocated for the rights of first responders to utilize appropriate mental health services in a timely manner and helped to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in the first responder community. Personally, I am a cancer survivor and enjoy helping others find meaning from all of life’s circumstances and challenges.