About
Delivering Results to Aid You in Legal Proceedings
About the Institute
The team at the American Psychology Institute supports clients and their attorneys by evaluating, consulting, or reviewing previous reports across a range of mental health and cognitive issues. These services focus on criminal and civil issues and may include diagnostic clarification, cognitive and neuropsychological concerns. By tailoring each evaluation to the client’s specific legal needs, we ensure that the findings are clear, relevant, and easy to understand, serving as a practical resource for attorneys and their clients.
The techniques we use are grounded in research-based methodologies and are adaptable to each unique client situation. Every evaluation is conducted with precision drawing from extensive clinical and forensic expertise, and is crafted to meet the specific demands of the legal process, whether the purpose is for defense or prosecution. This approach enables us to serve as a bridge between mental health and the judicial system, helping attorneys advocate effectively for their clients’ best interests
Why Choose Us?
Individually tailored psychological evaluations offer critical advantages in legal proceedings.
Each client’s mental health, cognitive profile, and personal history are unique, and standardized approaches often fall short in capturing this complexity. Tailored evaluations allow for a deeper exploration of specific issues directly relevant to the case, ensuring that the assessment accurately reflects the client’s current mental state, cognitive abilities, and emotional functioning. This specificity can significantly impact legal outcomes, as an individualized evaluation provides clear, comprehensive, and relevant information that supports attorneys in building a well-informed case strategy.
Clients and attorneys benefit immensely from expertise in psychological issues, as these insights can help clarify critical aspects that might otherwise remain ambiguous or misunderstood. Expertise in mental health and neuropsychology brings clarity to complex issues like cognitive impairments, mood disorders, trauma, and personality characteristics, which may affect a client’s behavior, decision-making, or capacity. This expertise is also essential in situations where mental health plays a role in understanding the client’s culpability, fitness for trial, parenting capabilities, or other factors relevant to the case. Having a specialist in psychology conducting the evaluation enhances credibility and assures that findings are based on established science, providing attorneys with reliable information to support or challenge claims in a legal setting. Overall, clients benefit from evaluations that present a balanced, scientific perspective that strengthens their case and aids in fair and informed legal decision-making.
About
The American Psychology Institute is led by our founder and president,
Dr. Bradley McConnell
Dr. McConnell is one of only 1,350 board-certified specialists in clinical psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology) across the entire country, a distinction that underscores Dr. McConnell’s commitment to excellence and expertise. Accepted into doctoral training at 20 years old and completing his doctorate by age 25, Dr. McConnell brings both remarkable academic achievement and extensive professional experience to every client.
Dr. McConnell’s commitment to ongoing education and training is quite extensive by earning a postdoctoral master’s degree in clinical psychology and continuing on with postdoctoral training in neuropsychology. Dr. McConnell has over 240 hours of post-licensure education in forensic psychology through the State of California, the State of Alaska, the Commonwealth of Virginia and Palo Alto University, and the University of Virginia’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy. His professional experience coupled with continuing education equips Dr. McConnell with specialized knowledge for complex forensic cases. He serves as a qualified expert witness in both federal and state courts, with over 100 hours of courtroom testimony providing attorneys with insights grounded in solid science and psychological principles.
Dr. McConnell understands and appreciates the value of volunteering to contribute back to the field of psychology. He provides volunteer services to the field of psychology as a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Psychology’s law and ethics examination and is currently serving an eight-year appointment to the Alaska Board of Psychologists and Psychological Associate Examiners. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology. Dr. McConnell is deeply rooted in advancing the field of psychology. At the American Psychology Institute, we bring a breadth of understanding to diverse psychological needs and contexts. The American Psychology Institute exists to provide unparalleled psychological expertise helping individuals and attorneys navigate the intersection of psychology and the judicial system with confidence.
Qualifications, Certifications, and Expertise
- Ability to practice in 46 different states and jurisdictions
- One of only 1,350 psychologists in America who is a board-certified specialist in clinical psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology
- Qualified Expert Witness in federal and state courts
- State of Alaska Board Member for the Board of Psychologists and Psychological Associate Examiners
- Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology
- Postdoctoral Master’s degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology (Fairleigh Dickinson University)
- Postdoctoral neuropsychology training (Fielding Graduate University)
- I am one of 1,348 psychologists out of 207,000 psychologists in America who is board certified specifically in clinical psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology
- Doctoral degree from an American Psychological Association - accredited program with an American Psychological Association internship
- Post-doctoral master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology
- Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology
- Postdoctoral neuropsychology training
- Board Member of the Alaska State Board of Psychologists and Psychological Associate Examiners
- Qualified Expert Witness in state court and federal court
- Qualified Expert Witness in state court and federal court
- I was the Chief Forensic Psychologist for the State of Alaska
- Forensic experience for the last 11 years
- Credentials to practice in 46 different states and jurisdictions