Alan Acre, Psy.D.
Dr. Acre 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 he was deployed to Iraq (OIF) as a Combat Advisor, for the 1st Infantry Division in Baghdad, Iraq. Following his deployments and 15 years of military service he was honorably discharged and started pursuing his education in mental health.
In 2019 Dr. Acre graduated from the California School of Professional Psychology cum laude with a doctorate in clinical psychology. He has also conducted research that includes publications and presentations in trauma, veteran homelessness, Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), substance use, sexual violence, child abuse, and posttraumatic growth. He previously trained in the VA medical system with experts in PTSD, moral injury, suicide prevention, substance use, outpatient general mental health, couples, and families. Additionally, he spent three years training at Veteran’s Village of San Diego (VVSD), where he performed treatments for trauma, substance use, moral injury, general mental health, and conducted trauma testing for some of our nation’s veterans. He also trained at Sharp Mesa Vista in the “Veterans and Trauma (PTSD) Clinic” and the outpatient substance use, “Dual Diagnosis Clinic.” He completed a yearlong psychoanalytic fellowship at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy. He also completed training in adolescents and teen counseling at New Haven Youth and Family Services in Vista, CA. Lastly, he is trained in evidence-based trauma therapies for treating PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Dr. Acre currently is the Clinical Director and founder of the “Advanced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic” based in San Diego, CA. During his four years as a clinical director, he has created and managed several PTSD clinics across California that specialized in psychological services for first responders. During this time, he has had the pleasure of advocating for the rights of first responders to utilize appropriate mental health services in a timely manner and to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in the first responder community. On a personal note, he is a cancer survivor (military service related) and enjoy helping others find meaning from all of life’s circumstances and challenges.
You can reach reach Dr. Alan at:
alanacre@bellatorpsychological.com
or learn more at: