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What is a Forensic Psychologist?
A forensic psychologist is a professional who sits at the juncture of the mental health field and criminal justice. Their primary function is to assess people who are in the legal system. They might be accused criminals awaiting trial, prisoners seeking release, or even parents seeking custody.
Forensic psychologists are primarily known for making determinations in cases involving alleged criminal insanity. Their determinations can impact a person's sentencing and even their guilt or innocence. For instance, persons deemed mentally incompetent might not be prosecuted or they may be sentenced to a mental health facility rather than a standard prison.
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Step 1: Is this the career for me?
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Step 2: Bachelor's degree in psychology
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Step 3: Graduate degrees with a Forensic focus
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Step 4: Legal training
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Step 5: Licensure
Step 1: Is This the Career For Me?
Before pursuing a career as a forensic psychologist, it’s important to assess whether this field aligns with your interests and strengths. Forensic psychology is a unique blend of psychology and law, requiring an understanding of both mental health and legal systems. If you are passionate about understanding human behavior, enjoy problem-solving, and have a strong interest in law enforcement or the criminal justice system, this may be the right path for you.
Additionally, forensic psychologists must have strong communication and analytical skills, as they often need to present findings in court and interact with a wide range of individuals, including law enforcement, legal teams, and patients. It’s also essential to be comfortable with emotional and potentially distressing situations, as the work can involve dealing with criminals or victims in sensitive and sometimes challenging contexts. If you are empathetic, detail-oriented, and have a strong sense of ethics, forensic psychology may be a fulfilling and rewarding career choice.
Step 2: Bachelor's Degree
A specific bachelor's degree focus in forensic psychology will be less common than a general psychology degree, but they can be found. You'll spend these first four years establishing your fundamental knowledge of the field, whether you find a degree focused in forensic psychology or not. You will start out with Intro to Psychology and proceed through to courses such as Abnormal Psychology and Research Methods. There are a few programs that offer a forensics focus, however, so it may be a good idea to investigate them to see if they suit your needs.
Though your degree will most likely include a general study of psychology, you can take steps to focus your transcript. For instance, you could elect to do internships in forensic psychology or craft independent study courses in the field. Another option is to focus your research papers on criminal psychology. This way you can begin to prepare yourself for success in graduate school.
Another way to prepare for future success in forensic psychology is to take pre-law courses while you study for your bachelor’s degree. A minor focus in criminal justice or legal studies will look great on your graduate school application and future professional applications. More importantly, your legal knowledge will inform how you operate in the professional world.
Step 3: Graduate Degrees
When you start looking at graduate schools, you should seek out programs that bestow specific degrees in forensic psychology. However, there are many programs that only offer degrees in clinical psychology. These programs will prepare you for your eventual career, but you may need to add a post-doctorate certification after you've completed your PhD. Some specific courses you might take in graduate school include courses such as:
- Social Psychology
- Psychology and Law
- Behavior Pathology
- Diversity Psychology
No matter which specific path you take, you will need to complete doctoral work in psychology from an APA-accredited program. When your program is appropriately accredited you will find it easier to pursue state licensure.
Step 4: Legal Training
In addition to your psychological studies, it may be valuable to add coursework that addresses the law and criminal justice. Most forensic psychologists take various courses throughout their academic career, but you do not need to complete a full degree. These courses can frequently be found online and can be a great way to flesh out your knowledge base. Your school's curriculum may include, but is not limited to:
- Legal Research
- Theories of Justice
- Public Advocacy
- Politics and Law
Another way to augment your psychological work is to minor in either criminal justice or pre-law while in your undergraduate years. You could also seek work in corrections or law enforcement to gain added insight to the world of a forensic psychologist.
Step 5: Licensure & Certification
Once you have graduated with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a focus on forensic psychology, you will need to attain state licensure. Though each state is free to conduct its licensing processes in its own way, you'll find that there are many similarities from state to state. You will need to complete two years of supervised experience in APA-accredited internship programs. One of these years should be a pre-doctoral internship.
Not only is it vital to become licensed by your state, but forensic psychologists should also seek certification from the American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP). ABFP certification will prove to your colleagues and future clients that you have met the specific requirements generally accepted for the profession. This post-doctoral credential is sure to be vital to establishing a successful practice in forensic psychology.
Career & Income
Where Might You Work?
Forensic psychologists can work in many environments. Most, however, work in private practice and contract with lawyers or state attorneys. Your daily work might involve traveling throughout your state to visit inmates. Your visits will involve assessments for parole, pending court cases, or to determine whether they need a referral to a mental health facility.
If you are working a case where a defendant's sanity is in question, you will need deeper legal knowledge. That is, your professional opinion will determine whether or not the person was legally insane before, during, or after a crime. Since each state has its own standards, you must know whether those rules apply.
You might also spend a great deal of time writing up your assessments in forensic psychology. These documents might involve more than a simple written opinion, however, and can be comprised of many hundreds of pages that detail a prisoner's psychological profile.
In some cases, you might conduct assessments of many people involved in a case. If you are working on a custody case, for instance, you might interview both parents, grandparents, and the children before making your final assessment.