Faculty Profiles

John M. McConnell, Ph.D., has six years of experience as a clinician in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Dr. McConnell has additionally practiced in a community mental health center and a cancer hospital. As a licensed psychologist, he specializes in integrating cognitive/psychological assessments and interventions into medical settings with particular emphasis on the elderly, people with dementia, and individuals with physical illness. He was previously responsible for managing a VA outpatient mental health clinic during his postdoctoral residency.

Dr. McConnell also is an expert in assisting individuals, couples, and groups accomplish forgiveness. He is passionate about teaching, clinical supervision, research advising, and student mentorship. Dr. McConnell places a strong emphasis on research methodology and statistics. He studies peace, diversity, and biblical/social justice in a variety of contexts. Dr. McConnell is faculty co-director of The Multicultural Peace and Justice Collaborative, which is a research lab in the Psychology Department. Dr. McConnell currently is the Diversity and Justice Coordinator for the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology program.

Dr. McConnell enjoys quality time with his family, and friends. He considers himself a Chicago-style pizza connoisseur, and loves all things gastronomical. He also enjoys creating and consuming music and art. Additional hobbies include hiking, biking, soccer, and watching documentaries.

Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center
Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Residency, 2016

Ball State University
Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, 2014

South Texas Veterans Health Care System (Audie L. Murphy VA)
Clinical Psychology Predoctoral Internship, 2014

Ball State University
M.A., Counseling, 2009

Ball State University
B.S., Psychological Science, 2007

• Neuropsychology Assessment
• Statistics
• Research Methodology
• Psychotherapy
• Geropsychology
• Diversity
• Forgiveness
• Social Justice
• Peace Psychology

• American Psychological Association

• The Multicultural Peace and Justice Collaborative

Selected Oral Presentations

2012-2017

McConnell, J. M. White allyship in social justice, peace, and racial reconciliation. In J. M. McConnell & C. D. Page (co-chairs), Promoting racial reconciliation for Black, Brown, and White citizens
Co-chaired symposium presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

McConnell, J. M. Intergroup forgiveness: Interpersonal, intrapersonal, spiritual, and political factors
Invited lecture for Johann Buis’s Resistance and Reconciliation in Africa Class, Wheaton College, IL (April, 2017)

McConnell, J. M. Collective unawareness, guilt, shame, and social (in)action. In J. M. McConnell (Chair), Breaking racial barriers between African-American/Black citizens and White police officers
Chaired symposium presented at the 2017 Annual Christian Association for Psychological Studies Conference, Chicago, IL, (March, 2017)

McConnell, J. M. Moral injury and self-forgiveness.
Invited presentation at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center, North Chicago, IL. (April, 2017)

McConnell, J. M. Self-forgiveness in non-violence. In J. M. McConnell (Chair), The role of forgiveness and self-forgiveness in nonviolence
Chaired symposium presented at the 2013 Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Conference, Muncie, IN. (April, 2013)

Ramirez-Wylie, J. A., Jackson, M. S., Walker, L. R., Krowel, A. D., & McConnell, J. M. The role of culture and gender on trauma among U.S. Military service members
Symposium presented at the 2012 Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference, Lafayette, IN. (March, 2012)

Selected Refereed Poster Presentations

2017

*Koster, M. L., *Cordial, T., *Scholz, M., & McConnell, J. M. Facing the invisible wounds of war: A holistic review of symptoms and treatments for moral injury
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

*Koster, M. L., *Cordial, T., *Scholz, M., *Malzahn C., & McConnell, J. M. Facing the invisible wounds of war: A holistic review of current moral injury research
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

*Cordial, T., *Scholz, M., *Koster, M. L., & McConnell, J. M. Measuring moral injury: The need for future scale development
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

*Scholz, M., *Cordial, T., Malzahn, C., *Koster, M.L., & McConnell, J. M. Beyond combat veterans: Future directions in moral injury research with diverse populations
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

*Smith, L., *Franklin, H., *Winslow, A., *Nicoletti, T., *Tabiolo, C., *Kibble, C., & McConnell, J. M. The lived experiences of peace and racial reconciliation researchers
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (August, 2017)

*Koster, M., *Cordial, T., *Scholz, M., & McConnell, J. M. Facing the invisible wounds of war: A holistic approach to addressing moral injury
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual Christian Association for Psychological Studies Conference, Chicago, IL (March, 2017)

*Winslow, A. B., *Kibble, C., *Tabiolo, C., *Smith, L., McConnell, J. M., George, S., & Page, C. A culturally sensitive needs assessment of peace and reconciliation between African-American/Black and
Poster presented at the 2017 Annual Christian Association for Psychological Studies Conference, Chicago, IL. (March, 2017)

Dr. McConnell places a strong emphasis on research methodology and statistics. He studies peace, diversity, and biblical/social justice in a variety of contexts. Dr. McConnell is the faculty director of The Multicultural Peace and Justice Collaborative, which is a research lab in the Psychology Department.

A conceptual-theoretical-empirical framework for self-forgiveness: Implications for research and practice, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 37, 143-164
McConnell, J. M., 2015 (Refereed Professional Publication)
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An alternative model of self-forgiveness, The New School Psychology Bulletin, 9, 35-51
McConnell, J. M., Dixon, D. N., & Finch, W. H., 2012 (Refereed Professional Publication)

Perceived forgiveness from God and self-forgiveness, Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 31, 31-39
McConnell, J. M., & Dixon, D. N., 2012 (Refereed Professional Publication)
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Dr. McConnell directs The Multicultural Peace and Justice Lab.

Dr. McConnell places a strong emphasis on research methodology and statistics. He studies forgiveness and moral injury, and is especially interested in the topic as it relates to underserved populations, such as the elderly, prisoners, and victims of war. He also studies clinical judgment errors and neuropsychological assessment, particularly topics related to normal aging, dementia, and decision-making capacity.