Military Background

  • United States Marine Corps Infantry (Rank: E-4 / Corporal)

  • MOS: 0311 – Infantry / Held positions as Rifleman, Grenadier, and Team Leader

  • 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (Echo Company) – Team Leader / Combat deployment to Afghanistan (2010)

  • 1st Battalion, 1st Marines (Bravo Company) / Deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) (2009)

A soldier wearing a green beanie, tactical vest with pouches, and a beige uniform, standing outdoors with military gear in the background.

Clinical Specialties

  • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™

  • Complex Trauma, Complex PTSD (Childhood, Adult, and Combat-related)

  • Sexual Trauma (Childhood, Adult, and Military-related/MST)

  • Depression, Anxiety, and Mood Dysregulation

  • Alcohol and Substance Abuse

  • Process-Oriented and Psychoeducational Groups

  • Military-to-Civilian Reintegration Issues

  • Veterans (Combat and Non-Combat)

  • First Responders (Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, EMS)

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Professional Background

  • Ph.D. in Marital and Family Therapy from Alliant International University

  • California BBS-Qualified Clinical Supervisor

  • Graduate-level teaching and guest lecturing experience

  • Conducted original doctoral research examining institutional betrayal and perceptions of inadequate reintegration support among U.S. military veterans transitioning to civilian life (see publication below)

    Military Institutional Betrayal: A Quantitative Analysis of Perceived Inadequate Transition Support and Institutional Betrayal Among U.S. Veterans

    Higgins, A. (2025). Military Institutional Betrayal: A Quantitative Analysis of Perceived Inadequate Transition Support and Institutional Betrayal Among U.S. Veterans. Journal of Veterans Studies, 11(2), pp. 109–122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v11i2.758