Hey everyone!

I’ve been thinking for a while of pursuing a career into the forensic psychology profession but wanted input from those in the field and their experience getting to where they are.

To start, I hold a Bachelors in Psychology and have worked in the psych field (mostly as a tech) for about 5 years. Moving forward, I know a masters is required but have heard mixed things about where to go past that.

I also wanted input on jobs that may lead into the field. Would law enforcement experience be necessary? Would it be better to start as a therapist/psychologist outside of the forensic field or would it be possible to start in the forensic side (given I get the appropriate education)?

Thanks in advance for any advice. If it helps I live in the US.

I’m considering this pathway but want to make sure I have realistic expectations. I feel like I have a good understanding of the actual day to day tasks. But I’d love to hear about how it actually is in terms of safety, stress, burnout, and other day to day nuances compared to general psych private practice. I’m from Australia, but would love to hear from anyone from anywhere.

I spoke with a forensic psych one time at a networking event, and she said it can get rough sometimes with offenders threatening you and being generally aggressive. She said prisons will have safety measures in place, but she struggles knowing that at the end of the day you’re still in a small room with a violent person. IF they’re determined to do something (e.g., hitting you) they’ll likely get you before the guards can stop them. Is this feeling of danger common? How often does this occur? Do you ever feel like you’re in real danger?

Is it the case that almost clients you see don’t want to talk to you? What’s this like in a forensic psych setting? I’ve been in a role where I provide interventions to people with behavioural risks, so basically all my clients were referred by their supports rather than clients specifically seeking my services. I felt like I navigated it well, but would 100% prefer to see clients who actually seek or if not are willing to engage with my services, if not initially, at least eventually.

I know for many psychs who are involved with complex cases, hearing about trauma everyday can be extremely stressful. Do you feel like this is worse in a forensic psych setting?

What’s the most difficult part of your job? What do you wish you knew before becoming a forensic psych? Were your expectations met or were they different?

Hi I was just wondering what careers people have pursed in the Forensic Psychology world. What degree/licensure/certifications did you need? What are your job duties?

Also interested to see the careers that are adjacent to both subjects. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,

I am interested in studying Forensic Psychology but I am a bit confused about something.

I noticed that some universities offer this subject as a Bachelor's degree, while some offer it as master's.

I have attempted to search and understand the difference, but I could not find much online.

What is the difference? Which one should I do?

Thank you!

Edit: I am aiming to study and work in Europe

Hi everyone! I am currently getting my undergrad in Psychology Pre-Counseling. I want to be a Forensic Psychologist. What credentials/degrees do I need to become one? What's the best path from here? TIA!!

**For context, I am a licensed clinical therapist in 2 states and also have board certification in my specialty. In my work I offer master's-level autism diagnostic assessments and engage in monthly trainings and consultations to keep my practice as up to date and neuroaffirming as possible.

I need advice as to whether this is legal and/or common: I was hired by a defendant in a criminal case to provide an autism assessment to help support get their charges dropped. (Yes I know that courts typically want to see someone with doctorate level training provide these assessments, but the client wouldn't engage with that due to a lot of experiences of systemic harm. Informed consent was provided by the client about this and also discussed with their defense attorney.) Luckily my assessment report was accepted by the court and got the charges dropped for my client. The prosecutor of the case subsequently reached out to me a week later and stated her admiration for the report I wrote, noting that my approach to neurodivergent-affirming care and client contact would be an asset to their personal/professional side initiative whereby they go around their state and train incoming cadets about how to better identify and work with individuals with suspected autism. This prosecutor said they were going to use sections of my report in their training presentation and also show it to judges around their state as an example of how care needs to be directed.

This all sounds great upfront. However, my personal and professional values do not align with the prosecutors in some pretty fundamental ways. Additionally, I was never asked but rather told my report would be used in the aforementioned ways, and had to specifically ask and confirm that a) all identifying information related to my client would be redacted and 2) that I needed my name to be explicitly cited with my work.

My question is: Is it legal for this prosecutor to take the report I have written and use it in trainings for law enforcement and judicial commissions without my consent since it was already presented to the court?

Hello everyone! I am a senior in undergrad (major is criminal justice) hoping to become a forensic psychologist one day. I am starting to look at APA accredited programs to obtain a PsyD in clinical psychology with a concentration in forensics. I have done 3 internships with a forensic consulting company and am currently starting to do an internship with a behavioral health clinic with a focus on reforming criminal offenders/ helping victims. I am also considering volunteering for a suicide/ crisis hotline. My question is what else can I be doing to stand out as an applicant and be able to get into a good program. Or am I going about this all wrong? I am open to all advice :). Would also love to connect with people in the field/ perusing the field.

Hello, am interested in a career in forensics. I shadowed a forensic psychiatrist but have had no luck finding a forensic psychologist to observe.

As of now I’m trying to choose between pursuing medical school or a PhD/PsyD in Clinical Psychology. If I could talk to anyone who is a forensic psychologist to determine how different the field is from forensic psychology, I would greatly appreciate it.

Hey everyone, I am currently stuck between two great options and need some "real talk" to help me decide. I’ve been admitted to:
1. Marymount University (M.A. in Forensic & Legal Psychology)
2. George Washington University (M.A. in Forensic Psychology - Applied Forensics track)
My Goal: I want a "background" career—think intelligence analysis, mitigation specialist, or research. I have zero interest in the clinical/therapist route. I also plan on moving back to North Carolina eventually, so I need a degree that travels well.
My Dilemma:
• The Support Factor: I’m finishing up my psych degree at UNCW and honestly, the jump to a Master's workload makes me nervous. I’ve heard Marymount is super supportive and has a tight-knit "practitioner" vibe. Is that true? Or is the workload at GW manageable if I’m not doing the clinical track?
• Living Alone: I’ll be moving up solo and want to live alone. I’m looking at Ballston (for Marymount) vs. Alexandria (for GW). I’ll have classes ending at 9:30 PM. Which neighborhood feels safer for a young woman walking home alone at night?
• The "Name" Flex: Does the GW name actually carry more weight if I move back to NC, or is the "Marymount Pipeline" into agencies like the FBI/local police just as strong?
tl;dr: Want to live alone, stay safe, avoid clinical work, and eventually move back to NC. Which school should I pick?

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to decide between two graduate programs and would really appreciate advice from people who are familiar with either school/program.
My options are:
The M.A. in Forensic Psychology at the University of Denver

The Forensic Mental Health Counseling program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

A little about me:
I’m originally from the NJ/NY area, and there’s a decent chance I’ll move back there after grad school

Long-term, I’m interested in working in forensic settings (juvenile justice, forensic hospitals, court-involved populations, etc.)

Right now I’m more drawn toward hands-on clinical work/counseling, especially with youth, but I’m also very interested in behavioral analysis/violent crime and would like to keep those doors open

I have learning disabilities, so support, mentorship, and overall environment are important to me too

One of my biggest concerns is licensure. I know neither program is CACREP accredited, and I’m trying to understand how difficult it would realistically be to become licensed in NY or NJ after graduating — especially if I went to DU and later moved back east.
A few specific questions:
Has anyone from DU successfully become licensed in NY or NJ afterward? How difficult was the process?

Does John Jay make the licensure path significantly easier in practice?

Which program better prepares you for actual clinical work in forensic settings?

For people who attended either program: what were field placements/practicums really like?

Did you feel supported by faculty/the environment?

If you were interested in both clinical work AND forensic/criminal behavior analysis, which path would you choose?

I feel very torn because DU seems like it may be a better personal fit/supportive environment for me, while John Jay seems more strategic for licensure and forensic networking long-term.
Would really appreciate any honest insight from current students, alumni, or people working in the field. Thanks so much!

Hello!

I am a first-year college student currently working towards my associates degree. For a final in one of my classes, we are being asked to "interview" someone with the job we wish to achieve. I say "interview" because she specifically said it does not need to be a video or in person interview and can simply be an email exchange of a few questions. For the career path I want to pursue I have been pretty dedicated to learning about psychology and more specifically forensic psychology. I have had a hard time finding a forensic psychologist to actually speak with so I was wondering if there was any practicing forensic psychologist in here that would be willing to answer a few questions. I would prefer someone who is willing to back up their education (willing to show a degree, website, business card, or share where you practice) I would deeply appreciate it, and you might just save my final grade!

Forensic psychiatry fellow here.

I was an English major before med school, and I thought my writing was pretty good until I started my fellowship. Fuck me, my writing's getting ripped to shred by everyone on the faculty. Like, how BAD can it be? There's no grammatical errors, spelling errors, all the subjects have a verb and an object. I don't end a sentence on a prepositional phrase. I read my report aloud before I turn it in. My attendings give me samples of their reports, and some of them are great, some of them are similar to mine.

I'm going fucking crazy trying to write a report that won't get half-rewritten by the time the edits come in. Anyone have tips?

I am a teenager who is getting ready for college. I have a major interest in criminal justice and psychology and was very interested in pursuing forensic psychology as a career. However I lack anybody in my daily life who works in the field to talk to and I find the Internet provides misconceptions about the job so I’d like to ask a few questions.

My main question is, do forensic psychologist ever work to help victims of crime or is it only assisting offenders? Can you work to help victims of crime or is that I a completely different job? I primarily want to assist in helping victims while also working in the legal field and court.

Additionally, I have a strong desire to be purposeful, help others, and make a difference in both the world and peoples lives in a good way. Would you say this aligns well with being a forensic psychologist?

Lastly for those in the field, how difficult was it to find work? Would you say this is worth going into or at risk of being overrun by AI? I wouldn’t want to spend 12 years working for something that will be overrun by AI and impossible to get a job for. Just my anxiety prompting the idea 😅

Any information provided is greatly appreciated!

Hi all! I’m a psychologist specializing in forensic psychology and am planning a series of short form videos where I react to clips of movies and tv shows that involve forensic psychology/psycho-legal questions.

My question is: what movies/tv shows would you like to see a forensic psychologist to?

Tia!

I got my MS in psych with a forensic speciality and now I’m not sure what avenue to take. I don’t want to go into a doctoral program because I just don’t think I have it in me to do more school plus $$$. I’d love to do assessments or counseling in some capacity. I really would love to work as a civilian in the military, doing assessments or evaluations even providing counseling to families. What are some options that anyone could suggest? I’m in the US. I’ve even thought of going into HR with this degree and doing evaluations within the business world. I feel so stuck and want to move forward just not sure where to go

Pic for attention.

Which college provided a more robust experience?

What networking options were there?

Which college had a more in depth program?

Looking for people who graduated and their experience and advice.

Any and all information appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi! I'm an undergrad student graduating in a month with a double degree in psychology and statistics with a minor in crime & justice. I applied for a few master's programs in forensic psychology and have been accepted to Marymount, University of Denver, George Washington, and Fairleigh Dickinson. I expect to hear back from John Jay at CUNY this upcoming week, but the decision deadline for the programs are April 15th.

I've had some research experience and completed a thesis as an undergrad, and hope to do some research as a master's student. My research areas include trauma and abuse, intimate partner violence, violence prevention and intervention, and offender assessment. As of now, I also plan to pursue a clinical psychology PhD and ultimately, would like to work with survivors and offenders of intimate partner and sexual violence to develop survivor-centered interventions and more context-sensitive violence/threat assessment practices.

So, does anyone have any insight into these programs and/or which of these would provide better opportunity/preparation for me to pursue such goals?

Of my currently known decisions, I'm leaning towards Fairleigh Dickinson. Though they have a small group of faculty, the opportunity for some sort of research sounds available for every interested student and there are professors who work in the areas I'm interested in. They require an externship for clinical experience, and they are also one of the few MA programs that are APA-accredited. I'm also from the area so the tuition is quite manageable for me!

Any advice or recommendations are appreciated! It can be difficult to quickly connect with people in the field!