Summary: A Career As A Forensic Psychologist

There are plenty of people who are fans of crime dramas such as Criminal Minds, or Law and Order.. But what is one thing that all crime dramas have in common? Each one has a forensic psychologist in the show. As with all jobs, Forensic psychologist have certain skills and duties, along with a different work environment, schedule, schooling,pay, and job outlook for the future. Forensic Psychologists play a major role in not only the shows, but in real life legal or criminal scenarios as well. Forensic psychology requires many everyday skills, but there is also many skills that all of us do not have. A major example of one of those skills is patience. Forensic psychologist need very high levels of patience, due to some clients that may need
lengthy treatments (“Psychologists”Bureau para.44). Another very good example of skills that may not be that common is the ability to have good teamworking skills; usually a forensic psychologist will be working with a whole legal team on a case (“Forensic” para.7). The ability to inspect and analyze behavior in clients, evidence from a case, and the statistics when necessary (“Psychologists”Illinois para.2). A major key for not just forensic psychologists is being able to be trustworthy with your client (“Forensic” para.7). If they feel as if they can not trust you, they may hold back important information (“Forensic” para.7). Another example of skills that apply to all psychology jobs is being able to listen to your client, but communicate back with them just as well (“Forensic” para.7). Of course with certain cases, there is a safety risk depending of the stability of the client (“Forensic” para.7). Also, mentally for all psychologist, they need to be able to be unbiased and maintain an open mind all of the time (“Forensic” para.7). One very important skill for specifically forensic psychology is have some sort of understanding of the law to be able to correctly use criminal legal terms in a court or with a client (“Forensic” para.7). On top of all of those, there are also some everyday skills that most people need for their jobs such as the following: the ability to stay calm, being able to sit in a chair for many minutes/hours at a time, problem solving skills, being able to notice the importance of relationships with others, and good people skills to handle other (“Psychologists”Illinois para.34,31,24,32). Along with the lengthy list of skills, there are also some demanding duties as well. The main goal of any psychologist is to try to comprehend and explain what,why, and how someone thinks or feels a certain way (“Psychologists”Bureau para.18). A method of how this is done is by studying emotional and behavioral patterns (“Psychologists”Bureau para.14). Many psychologists, including forensic psychologists, must conduct tests and studies on cranial function and how it affects behavior and emotion (“Psychologists”Bureau para.11,15). data can be collected through experiments but, through therapy and conversation with the patient (“Psychologists”Bureau para.16,19).Once a psychologists goes through these procedures, they analyze the information collected and see if there are any emotional issues found, then a it may be diagnosed to the patient (“Psychologists”Bureau para.13). More specifically with a forensic psychologist, the diagnosis is given back to the court for whatever the case may be (“Forensic” Para.1). A forensic psychologists that focuses on law enforcement may be involved in hostage negotiations, training workshops, the safety of citizens, and a psychological intervention (“Psychologists”Bureau para.23). Once all of this data has been collected, it can be used to write reports to inform the general public (“Psychologists”Bureau para.17). The everyday work environment for a psychologist may be very different than you would expect.
Many psychologists work as part of a large medical team to try to find a diagnosis and how to correctly deal with it(“Psychologists”Illinois para.18). As with many other jobs in the world, a psychologist may have a patient who is angry, rude, or just uncooperative with the psychologist; this can lead to a harder time trying to diagnose what is wrong with the patient (“Psychologists”Illinois para.18). Social interactions with colleagues and patients are a big part of being a psychologist; there are many close relationships that must be kept(“Psychologists”Illinois para.18). The general environment for a psychologist is almost always inside, but a forensic psychologist might visit a crime scene(“Psychologists”Illinois para.19). As for all psychologist, everyday they make very impactful decisions for their patients and their families that could potentially be life changing, as a psychologist usually will make independent decisions without consulting a superior (“Psychologists”Illinois
para.29). As for a schedule for a psychologist, it is not very strict. Typically, a psychologist will make his or her own schedule, as most psychologists do independent work; but they may still have to work nights, all day, and even weekends depending on the patient they may have (“Psychologists”Illinois para.20). As for job availability, there are both part and full time jobs as a psychologist (“Psychologists”Illinois para.20). If you want to be a psychologist, be prepared for the extensive schooling ahead. As required for many jobs, a high school degree is required for all psychology jobs (“Psychologists”Illinois para.34). After high school is completed, you must get at least a master's degree to have any sort of job in the field of psychology (“Psychologists”Bureau para.4). With a master's degree, most people could get a job as a psychologist's assistant (“Psychologists”Bureau para.41). Also, a masters program usually doesn’t require an undergraduate degree in psychology (“Psychologists”Bureau para.42). If someone wants to be an actual psychologist, it is almost always required to have a Ph.D. in psychology(Psy.D) (“Psychologists”Bureau para.4,39). And for a forensic psychologist, they will need to study to have some sort of understanding of the law for criminal cases (“Forensic” para.22). To be granted a Psy.D one must pass a written paper and exam all from original research (“Psychologists”Bureau para.39). For most psychology jobs, you must complete a one year internship before you can get a job (“Psychologists”Bureau para.39). If someone wants to open their own private practice, a license is required: instead of a license, an advanced degree and certificate is sufficient (“Psychologists”Bureau para.4,40) Does the extensive schooling pay off in the long run?
The average annual salary for a psychologist in 2015 was $94,590 (“Psychologists”Bureau para.56). In Illinois specifically, the average annual pay in 2015 was $90,000 (“Psychologists”Bureau para.11). Also in Illinois, the monthly wage is around 7,000 and the hourly wage is around $38 (“Psychologists”Bureau para.9,10). Even though it is one of the smallest states, Rhode Island pays psychologists more than any other state in the U.S. (“Forensic”papa.27). Compared to many other jobs in the U.S. the job outlook for psychologists is rather prosperous. In the ten years from 2014 to 2024 the demand for psychologists is projected to increase 19%, that is faster than almost all jobs in the U.S. (“Psychologists”Bureau para.1). The projected number of available psychology jobs by 2024 is 206,400 (“Psychologists”Bureau para.67). For those with a masters degree in psychology, the job competition will be much greater than it will for those with a doctorate in psychology (“Psychologists”Bureau para.65,6). They are on T.V., they are in real life, and they have an important role in criminal cases in both. Forensic psychologists are part of the reasons there are not criminals that are not of sound mind wandering the streets. Forensic psychologists have a very special and specific set of skills and duties and that take many years of schooling to acquire, but in the end the salary might be worth
it.