L. Jay Mitchell Founder of the Greenbrier Academy

L. Jay Mitchell has followed a path of purpose and direction for decades. He chose an unusual course to make a difference. At first, he hoped to find definitive answers in the study of psychology, but he finally decided that a law degree would provide him with the flexibility and critical thinking needed to negotiate the complexities of society. He served as a U.S. Air Force JAG (lawyer) for four years. A series of circumstances led him to collaborate with forensic psychologists and psychiatrists in building his legal defenses.

What are your aspirations in life?

I am grateful for what experiences have taught me about relationships with all sorts of people in all sorts of settings. I want to keep reaching out to others for the rest of my life helping others out.

How Did You Get Started in Business?

After I finished earning my law degree, a series of unusual circumstances led me to collaborate with forensic psychologists and psychiatrists in building strong legal defenses.

I then sought out to combine my litigation experience and educational background in forensic psychology into a partnership with a civilian law firm. While there, I created an informal group of professionals from various disciplines to explore how emotional pain could be diminished.

What are some of your greatest accomplishments from The Greenbrier Academy?

We have a lot of great achievements such as 96% of Greenbrier Academy graduates here in West Virginia have been accepted to college to all of our teachers and therapists being licensed and accredited. GBA has twice been a positive example of “Applied Relationality” in presentations at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association with membership over 134,000.