Dr. David A. Slier is a Clinical
Psychologist in private practice in La Mesa,
CA and provided services from September 2005-2012
at the Naval Medical Center San Diego where
he provides all DOD-VA recognized evidenced
based treatments for combat trauma. Until mid
2008, during a period of critical military surge
and war zone injury, he was selected as the
sole clinical psychologist providing treatment
through the Deployment Health Center, NMCSD.
Dr. Slier introduced and provided the individual
and group, evidenced based, sleep and nightmare
treatments, as well as group Cognitive Processing
Therapy PTSD treatment. He was among the first,
during this current war cycle, to address through
clinical practice the impact of combat related,
moral injury. Dr. Slier participated in the
development of the first prototype of a combat
PTSD residential program at NMCSD.
Dr. Slier initiated and coordinated the first
Holocaust Remembrance Day at NMCSD on 02 April
2010, honoring the 65th Anniversary of the American
Liberation of the Concentration Camps. Dr. Slier
9 of every 10 member's of the Slier family (estimated
to be several hundred) perished in the Holocaust.
A beloved relative, Deborah Slier and her husband,
Ian Shine, authored “Hidden Letters”
of which Jack Polak, Chairman Emeritus of the
Anne Frank Center, USA, has written: “This
is the best Holocaust book I’ve read,
and I’ve read them all.” A curriculum
for this book is available for teaching secondary
education students through Star Bright Books,
New York. This text’s historical scholarship
of Jewish life during World War II and its literary
rendering of members of the Slier family provide
an accessible and depthful understanding of
the Holocaust and its intergenerational legacy.
Dr. Slier initiated and coordinated a memorial
service that commemorated war related events
on 02 July 1967. This was the single worst day
of causalities for the Marine Corps in the Vietnam
War, and especially, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion
9th Marines ( The Walking Dead ), which lost
60 marines on 02 July 1967. Dr. Slier had witnessed
as a combat marine, aspects of the aftermath
of 02 Jul67, during Operation Buffalo. Until
02 July 2010, forty-three years later, there
had never been a memorial service to commemorate
this event. This event promoted community based
healing through participation of survivors,
multigenerational family members, friends, veterans,
members of the Southern California community,
and NMCSD Marine Wounded Warrior Detachment.
Dr. David A. Slier completed a Ph.D. and M.A.
in Psychology; Ed. S., School Psychology; and
M.A., Educational Psychology. Dr. Slier has
trained in the following therapies: 1) Gestalt,
2) Client-Centered, 3) Analytical, 4) Object
Relations, 5) Cognitive Behavioral, 6) Prolonged
Exposure, 7) EMDR, and 8) Cognitive Processing.
Dr. Slier’s dissertation research was
the first clinical conceptual reformulation
of Martin Buber’s I-Thou relationship.
It provided a processing reformulation of a
therapeutically, prototypical relation that
has been identified in several existential and
analytical approaches as central to the conceptualization
of its model. Trauma and crisis based case studies
were provided. The committee chairperson, Dr.
Maurice Friedman, with whom Dr. Slier was privileged
to do his research, is a world recognized expert
on the works of Martin Buber.
Dr. Slier’s clinical experience has
included individual, group, and family treatment,
as well as supervision and consultation in numerous
trauma and crisis related settings. Settings
include: a) child and adult day treatment, b)
crisis residential treatment, c) long-term residential
treatment for schizophrenia, d) skilled nursing
facilities, e) hospitals, f) outpatient treatment
centers, and g) private practice. Treatment
populations include: 1) emotionally disturbed,
and abused children, 2) schizophrenic adults,
3) domestically violent, abused and abusing
adults, 4) medically disabled, psychologically
ill adults, 5) survivors of politically based
torture, and 6) combat stress injured and bereaved
active duty servicemen.
