FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

Advising Information

(prepared by Dr. Douglas Maynard)

(From talk by Dr. Marc Mednick, April 20^th, 2005)

Forensic psychology is the interface between psychology and law. It is very different from what you see on popular TV shows such as CSI.

Dr. Mednick suggests that the best educational route to a career in forensic psychology is

§ a very strong background in general clinical psychology, with an interest and passion in diagnostic work (intelligence, personality, educational, and neuropsychological assessment). I take this to mean a Ph.D. in clinical psychology

§ specific training in the forensic field following your clinical training

Based on this information, I believe that several undergraduate courses would be particularly valuable in preparing for a career in the field, most notably 80438 Clinical Psychology and 80458 Introduction to Psychological Testing.

(Note that there are also a few specific forensic psychology programs but there are not many, and this is not the route that he suggested students take.)

Dr. Mednick also argues that you should have a strong interest in strange, bizarre, and potentially even dangerous situations or behaviors.

Although you can practice forensic psychotherapy, most forensic psychologists work primarily in assessment and evaluation. This is an important consideration in determining whether this is a field for you.

It was clear from his talk that (a) the field is quite diverse, (b) the work involves a lot of fascinating and challenging situations, but also a lot of emotionally draining and morally ambiguous dilemmas.

Please see the handouts from this talk for more information about the types of evaluation work that forensic psychologists engage in, and how law and psychology perspectives differ.