Forensic Psychology involves the application of psychology to the law and criminal investigation and behaviour.
Over
recent years, the popularity of Forensic Psychology has grown
immensely, due in part, to the many different movies and TV series about
people involved in the role. These programmes, though entertaining,
are not always realistic. The Forensic Psychologist will use the
science of psychology to operate within the justice system. Although
they may work as profilers, they are not the TV heroes able to deduce
the killer’s next move!
If you’re not sure if this is the career for you, consider whether you
enjoy working with others, as part of a team. Are you willing to work
closely with people who have been convicted of crimes? The problems can
be long-term and sometimes, there can be no “cure” to the problem. Some
people will continue to offend. The Forensic Psychologist will need to
be able to cope with this. They should also be interested in the law
AND psychology. Do you cope well with stress? Do you have strategies
in place to avoid burn out?
Forensic psychologists can be involved in insurance claims, lawsuits,
family work, working with child witnesses, child custody evaluations,
investigating child abuse, working with the courts, assessing
competency, giving psychotherapy or counseling to victims of crime and
so on. They may involved in assessing criminals for mental competency
or carrying out assessments of offenders.
The qualification required for Forensic Psychologists varies from
country to country, but most would be expected to hold a doctorate
qualification. This is a very competitive field.
BUT it is a very rewarding and challenging career with many different
career paths to follow, such as education, court work, counseling and so
on.
If you would like to learn more about forensic psychology, why not have a look at our Behaviour Profiling short course
or our Psychological Profiling eBook