Meet Dr. 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.
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).
In addition to my clinical practice, I am an active researcher, educator, speaker, and consultant. I continue to collaborate with the National Center for PTSD as Clinical Research Psychologist affiliate, 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
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
Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology (APA-Accredited)
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Bachelor of Science, Psychology (Honors) and Music (Honors)
St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
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 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