Alex is a licensed clinical psychologist based in Colorado. Originally a Michigander, later an Appalachian, and now a Coloradoan, he earned his M.A. in Clinical Health Psychology at Appalachian State University followed by his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. He later joined the United States Navy as a clinical psychologist treating service members, overseeing behavioral health departments and regional mental health processes and procedures, and serving as a clinical advisor to the Defense Health Agency. Now back in Colorado, he spends his days providing telehealth therapy and talking with people like you about the things that actually matter.
Other professional activities include ongoing research collaborations focused on understanding and treating anxiety and chronic pain; serving on the clinical steering committee for the Exposure Therapy Consortium – an international organization devoted to advancing anxiety treatments; and developing digital mental health programs designed to reach people he may never have the opportunity to meet in person.
About Dr. Alex Kirk
Education
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology & Neuroscience
University of Colorado Boulder
M.A., Clinical Psychology
University of Colorado Boulder
M.A., Clinical Health Psychology
Appalachian State University
B.A., Psychology, Neuroscience
Hope College
Select Publications
Smits, J. A. J., Abramowitz, J. S., Anderson, R. A., Arch, J. J., Badeja, D., Barzilay, S., Belanger, A. N., Borchert, T., Bryant, E., Burger, A. S., Dixon, L. J., Dutcher, C. D., Fitzgerald, H. E., Graham, B. M., Haberkamp, A., Hofmann, S. G., Hoyer, J., Huppert, J. D., Johnson, D., Kabha, B. Q., Kirk, A., Margraf, J., McEvoy, P. M., McSpadden, B., Newby, J., Otto, M. W., Papini, S., Parsons, E. M., Pittig, A., Pittig, R., Rief, W., Schaumburg, S., Timpano, K. R., Waltemate, L., Wannemüller, A., & Weise, C. (2025). Exposure Therapy Consortium: Outcomes of the proof-of-principle study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 109, 102962.
Slivjak, E., Kirk, A., & Arch. J. J. (2023). Psychophysiology of self-compassion. In A. Finlay-Jones, K. Bluth, & K. Neff (Eds.), Handbook of self-compassion. New York, NY: Springer.
Walter, K. H., McCabe, C. T., Watrous, J. R., Kohen, C. B., Beltran, J. L., Kirk, A., & Campbell, J. S. (2022). Psychological comorbidity: Predictors of residential treatment response among U.S. service members with PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(5), 1381-1392.
Kirk, A., Broman-Fulks, J. J., & Arch, J. J. (2021). A taxometric analysis of experiential avoidance. Behavior Therapy, 52(1), 208-220.
Arch, J.J., Fishbein, J., & Kirk, A. (2020). Innovations in ACT for cancer. In M. E. Levin, M. P. Twohig, & J. Krafft (Eds.), Innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Clinical advancements and applications in ACT. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Kirk, A., Rollins, V., & Arch, J. J. (2020). Is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) effective in addressing psychosocial and behavioral outcomes associated with cancer survivorship?Evidence-Based Practice, 23(6), 8-9.
Arch, J. J., Genung, S., Ferris, M., Kirk, A., Slivjak, E., Fishbein, J., … Stanton, A. L. (2020). Presence and predictors of anxiety disorder onset following cancer diagnosis among anxious cancer survivors. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28(9), 4425-4433.
Kirk, A., Meyer, J. M., Whisman, M. A., Deacon, B. J., & Arch, J. J. (2019). Safety behaviors, experiential avoidance, and anxiety: A path analysis approach. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 64, 9-15.
Arch, J.J., Kirk, A., & Craske, M.G. (2017). Panic disorder. In W. E. Craighead, D. J. Miklowitz, & L. W. Craighead (Eds.), Psychopathology: history, diagnosis, and empirical foundations, 3rd edition. New York, NY: Wiley.
Kirk, A., Bergquist, J. J., & Broman-Fulks, J. J. (2016). National attitudes towards mental health treatment: The importance of research evidence. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 45(6), 458-472.