Michael L. Bourke, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Bourke is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in northern Virginia.  From 2008 to 2021 he served as the Chief Psychologist for the United States Marshals Service, where he created and headed the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).  Prior to joining the USMS he worked for the federal prison system, where he performed risk assessments of incarcerated sex offenders, provided psychotherapeutic treatment, and conducted polygraph examinations to unearth risk-relevant behavior.  In July 2021, after 21 years as a federal law enforcement officer, Dr. Bourke retired from government service to start his consulting practice.

For more than two decades Dr. Bourke has served as a regular consultant to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private companies on matters pertaining to sexual criminality, interviewing/interrogation techniques, and psychological safeguarding of personnel.  From 2002 to 2013 he provided instruction for the Defense Intelligence Agency (NCCA), and he is currently an adjunct faculty member at The George Washington University and Nova Southeastern University.

An active researcher and author, Dr. Bourke co-authored the “Butner Study” and has published seminal work on the use of tactical polygraph with sex offenders, staff wellness, and the Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) program.  In 2008 he received the highest research honor awarded in the field of child exploitation by the United Kingdom’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).  He and his work have been profiled in the Monitor of the American Psychological Association, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and several textbooks in forensic psychology.