Michael Conner, PsyD
Bend Psychological Services
Dr. Conner is in private practice in Bend, OR. He was a founding Board member of Mentor Research Institute (MRI) in 1995 and has been involved in all aspects of MRI’s research and public and professional education programs. He is the founder of Private Practice Cloud, LLC, a behavioral health software and consulting company.
Dr. Conner has been focused on changes in mental health care policy, improvements in mental health related technology and client-feedback-informed improvement in mental health outcomes for more than 30 years. Dr. Conner has made numerous presentations on topics related to the professional practice of psychology. June 1, 2018, he presented to members of the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA) concerning rationale and strategies for establishment of Psychologists' Independent Practice Associations in NY.
An engineer and psychologist, Dr. Conner practices clinical, family and medical psychology. Dr. Conner is expert in crisis intervention, emergency psychiatric services, dangerous behavior, residential treatment and outdoor behavioral health. He has provided professional training in ethics, crisis intervention, dangerousness, parenting and a variety of other mental health topics.
Dr. Conner has worked in hospital, residential, primary medical care and health education settings. At one point in his career, he worked simultaneously in law enforcement, community crisis intervention and emergency room psychiatry. These varied experiences allow Dr. Conner to understand the needs of adults, parents, families, adolescents, professionals and organizations facing the most challenging problems. He now maintains a private practice working with adults and families and provides consultation and training for law enforcement and major airlines in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Conner also consults nationally with parents and mental health professionals.
Dr. Conner began pioneering research in 1989 regarding the use of computers in personality assessment and training. This included development and operation of computer-based test interpretation and the associated ethical issues. He developed a computer-based mental health screening tool for primary medical care. That system accurately evaluated and recommended medications based on the thought processes of psychiatrists. Other projects have included Internet-based parent questionnaires to screen adolescents at risk.
In 1999, Dr. Conner began to research boarding schools, wilderness and adventure programs for youth and young adults. He developed an extensive database on those programs. He has promoted public and professional awareness about emotional growth boarding schools and wilderness therapy treatment and is actively involved in helping the public understand the differences among emotional growth, therapeutic, residential, adventure and wilderness therapy programs and boot camps. That research allowed Dr. Conner to appreciate professional and consumer needs for intervention, program safety and the importance of follow-up services as well as the importance of recognizing market trends in mental health and family intervention services.
Disclosure statement: Dr. Conner is the primary partner in Private Practice Cloud, LLC (PPC) a technology company which has developed a behavioral health EHR and an online screening and measurement system that gathers, aggregates, analyzes and reports de-identified progress and outcomes to patients, therapists, physicians and Healthplans. In partnership with AMHA-OR, PPC supports the collaborative marketing and contracting programs of AMHA-OR members’ private mental health practices