Meet Dr. Allison Baier
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I'm dedicated to helping adults heal from trauma and difficult life experiences. I help my patients explore and process their experiences to reduce distressing symptoms and improve their overall quality of life. My approach is warm, personalized, and grounded in evidence-based methods.
I have particular expertise in women's mental health and also have extensive experience working with veterans, service members, and first responders.
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My work is built on a foundation of rigorous training and research in numerous settings including community outpatient clinics, VA Medical Centers, and top hospitals such as Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital. I have specific expertise in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) for a range of concerns including trauma and PTSD, moral injury, anxiety, depression, grief, substance use, and insomnia.
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University where I trained in the PTSD Treatment and Research Program. ​Following my clinical psychology internship at VA Boston Healthcare System, I completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the National Center for PTSD, gaining advanced training in specialized trauma therapies such as prolonged exposure (PE), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and written exposure therapy (WET).
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In addition to my clinical practice, I am an active researcher, educator, speaker, and consultant. I currently serve as a Clinical Research Psychologist with the National Center for PTSD and have held academic appointments at both Harvard Medical School and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. My research focuses on understanding and improving trauma recovery for diverse populations, and I regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals and present my work nationally and internationally.​
Education & Training
Postdoctoral Clinical Research Fellowship
Women’s Health Science Division, National Center for PTSD
VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Instructor of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Internship (APA-Accredited)
VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Instructor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Instructor of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology (APA-Accredited)
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
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Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
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Bachelor of Science, Psychology (Honors) and Music (Honors)
St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
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International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
-Member and past co-chair of the Military Special Interest Group
Massachusetts Psychological Association (MPA)
Professional Memberships
Selected Recent Publications and Presentations
Baier, A.L., Nillni, Y.I., Mandavia, A.D., Livingston, N., & Galovski, T.E. (2025). Neighborhood context: Understanding the relationship between national indices of neighborhood risk, individual perception, and posttraumatic stress. Social Science and Medicine, 380, Article 118163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118163
Baier, A.L., Kehle-Forbes, S.M, & Galovski, T.E. (2025). Attending to the therapeutic alliance. In. E. Goetter, Ed. Optimizing treatment engagement processes in CBT for anxiety and related disorders. CBT: Science Into Practice (pp. 9-27). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-91439-3_2.
Baier, A.L., Fox, A.B., Nillni, Y.I., Matteo, R.A, Vogt, D., Smith, B.N, & Galovski, T. (2025). Variation in pandemic impacts on the mental health of Black, Hispanic, and White American Veterans. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 185, 194-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.03.009
Kehle-Forbes, S.M., Baier, A.L., Ackland, P.E., Spoont, M., Polusny, M.A., Schnurr, P.P., Galovski, T.E, & Meis, L., (2025). “It made me feel more alive”: A qualitative analysis of quality-of-life improvements following completion of trauma-focused therapy for PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(1), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23091
Rosencrans, P.L., Walker, R.S., Coyne, A., Baier, A.L., Klein, A.B., Benhamou, K.S., Bowling, A., Feeny, N.C., & Zoellner, L.A. (2024). Changes in positive and negative affect precede changes in PTSD symptoms in evidence based treatments for PTSD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(9), 630-640. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/ccp0000898
Baier, A.L., Nillni, Y.I., Mandavia, A., Livingston, N., & Galovski, T. (2024, September).Understanding how trauma exposure and PTSD influence the relationship between objective and subjective assessments of neighborhood risk among U.S. veterans. [Poster presentation] 40th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.
Baier, A.L., Christ, N., Hagedorn, H., Galovski, T., & Kehle-Forbes, S. (2024, September). Understanding the associations between neighborhood disadvantage, posttraumatic stress, and substance use among a treatment seeking sample of U.S. veterans. [Poster presentation] 40th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.
Baier, A.L., Nugent, S., Horton, D.M., Salameh, H., Kehle-Forbes, S.M. (2024). Rates and reasons for veteran mental health service utilization following completion of evidence-based trauma-focused treatment for PTSD. Psychological Services, 21(3), 560-568. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000815
Kehle-Forbes, S.M., Galovski, T.E, Polusny, M.A., Possemato, K., Nugent, S., Campbell, E.H., McManus, E., & Baier, A.L. (2024). Development and pilot testing of a therapist-assisted self-management program for completers of trauma-focused therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 32(1), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2023.08.002
Fox, A.B., Baier, A.L., Alpert, E., Nillni, Y., & Galovski, T.E. (2023). Psychosocial and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: Predictors of mental health in male and female veterans. Journal of Women’s Health, 32(10), 1041-1051. http://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2023.0078.
Baier, A.L., Feeny, N.C., Coyne, A., & Zoellner, L.A. (2023). Temporal sequencing of change in trauma-related beliefs and therapeutic alliance during prolonged exposure and sertraline for chronic PTSD. Psychotherapy Research, 34(1), 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2023.2184733
Alpert, L., Baier, A.L., & Galovski, T. (2023). Psychiatric issues in women veterans. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 46(3), 621-633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2023.04.015
Williams, A. M., Baier, A.L., Woolley, M.G., & Galovski, T.E. (2022). Integrating social determinants of health within cognitive therapy. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 9, 215-228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-022-00268-0
Baier, A.L., Feeny, N.C., & Zoellner, L.A. (2022, November) Putting risk and resilience on the map: The impact of neighborhood environments on PTSD treatment outcome. In A. B. Klein (Chair), What works for whom and why? Innovations in understanding PTSD treatment process and outcome. [Symposium] 38th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Atlanta, GA.
Klein, A.B., Bedard-Gilligan, M.A., Baier, A.L., PeConga, E.K., Zoellner, L.A., & Feeny, N.C. (2021, November). Catching Some Zzzs: Evaluating the Role of Sleep Disturbance in PTSD Treatments. [Poster presentation] 37th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Virtual.
Baier, A.L., Feeny, N.C., & Zoellner, L.A. (2021, March) Investigating mediators of change: Examining the dynamic relationship between session level distress and alliance in prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD. In A.L. Baier (Chair), Unpacking PTSD treatments: Examining predictors and processes underlying change [Symposium] 40th Annual Conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Virtual.
Baier, A.L. & Danzo, S. (2021). Moving towards a new era of telepsychology in university training clinics: Considerations and curricula recommendations. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 15(4), 259-266. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000359
Baier, A.L., Kline, A.C., & Feeny, N.C. (2020). Therapeutic alliance as a mediator of change: A systematic review and evaluation of research. Clinical Psychology Review, 82, Article 101921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101921
Baier, A.L. (2020). A review of exposure therapy for anxiety: Principles and practice, Second edition. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 50(3), 241-242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-020-09455-7
Charney, M., Chow, L., Jakubovic, R. J., Federico, L. E., Goetter, E., Baier, A. L., Riggs, D., Phillips, J., Bui, E., & Simon, N. (2019). Training community providers in evidence-based treatment for PTSD: Outcomes of a novel consultation program. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(7), 793-801. https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/tra0000427
Baier, A.L., Marques, L., Borba, C., Kelly, H., Clair-Hayes, K., Dixon, L., Chow, L., & Simon, N.M. (2019). Training needs among non-mental health professionals working with service members: A qualitative investigation. Military Psychology, 31(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2018.1541392
Baier, A.L. (2019). The ethical implications of social media: Issues and recommendations for clinical practice. Ethics and Behavior, 29(5), 341-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2018.1516148.
Baier, A.L., Feeny, N.C., & Zoellner, L.A. (2019, July). Re-examining the role of extinction in prolonged exposure for PTSD: Disaggregating within-patient and between-patient effects of session-to-session change. In M. Would (Chair), Advances in mechanisms and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. [Symposium] 9th World Congress of Behaviour and Cognitive Therapy, Berlin, Germany.
Baier, A.L., Feeny, N.C., & Zoellner, L.A., (2019, March). Examining the therapeutic alliance as a possible mechanism underlying treatment response to prolonged exposure and sertraline for posttraumatic stress disorder. [Poster presentation] International Convention of Psychological Science, Paris, France.
Cooper, A.A., Kline, A.C., Baier, A.L., & Feeny, N.C. (2018). Rethinking prediction and prevention of psychotherapy dropout: A mechanism-based approach. Behavior Modification, 47(6), 1195-1218.https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445518792251
Rothbaum, A.O., Kline, A.C., Baier, A.L., Klein, A.B., & Feeny, N.C. (2018). PTSD in emergency medicine residents: A reply and caveat, Annals of Emergency Medicine, 71(4), 540-541.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.11.002
Richards, L., Bui, E., Charney, M., Clair-Hayes, K., Baier, A.L., Rauch, P., Allard, M., & Simon, N.M. (2017). Treating veterans and military families: Evidence based practices and training needs among community clinicians, Community Mental Health Journal, 53(2), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0013-7
Sylvia, L.G., Bui, E., Baier, A.L, Mehta, D., Denninger, J.W., Fricchione, G.L., Casey, A., Kagan, L., Park, E.R., & Simon, N.M. (2015). Resilient Warrior: A stress management group to improve psychological health in service members, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 4(6), 38-42. https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2015.080