You can choose from plenty of rewarding careers in forensic psychology. You will be able to use your experience and skills to help out those when they need it most. And with so many great options to choose from, you are sure to find the right career.
What’s Forensic Psychology?
Forensic Psychology is going to include a field of study that allows the student to learn about psychology, criminal behavior and law. Students who choose to go with this kind of degree program will often want to work in order to understand some of the basic human decisions and behaviors and that allows them to apply this knowledge to the justice system.
Many of these professionals will work in the legal system, working to make a change in the world around them and helping those who may be struggling when they are most in need. But many others will choose to work in mental health fields to help out everyone. There is a lot of variety in this kind of career choice.
If you want to be a forensic psychologist, there is a whole new world of opportunity available to you. There are a lot of careers available for someone who decides to get a degree in forensic psychology. Some of the top choices include:
Victim Advocate
A victim advocate is a professional who will listen to all of the experiences of any victim of unjust behaviors. Once they understand the whole situation, they will be able to provide the victim with some emotional support and give them guidance on all the legal actions that the victim can take due to those actions.
Some of the other key responsibilities for a victim advocate in their career includes:
- Creating a safe place for the victim so they can discuss their experience.
- Helping to come up with a legal plan to help the victim with their situation
- Attending any legal hearings with the victim so they have someone they know and trust present.
- Tracking the final outcome of the cases for the victim.
Correctional Officer
This professional will be able to work in the prisons in order to supervise the inmates while they serve their sentences. The work will need to be done at all times for these inmates including during activities, bathroom breaks, and their meals. Some of the responsibilities that a correctional officer may take on include:
- Providing support during the rehabilitation and counseling sessions for the inmate.
- Reporting the conduct of the inmate
- Helping the inmate maintain their sessions for counseling.
- Enforcing the regulations and rules of the prison.
Clinical Counselor
If you are looking to get into the field of forensic psychology on the mental health side of things, then a clinical counselor is a great choice to go with. These individuals are often known as mental health counselors and they will be there to help out with a variety of tasks that relate to the mental health of their clients.
The first step here is for them to assess the mental health and any pertinent behavioral challenges of the client. This can include anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and self-image. Then a plan can be made to help the patient overcome these issues and live a healthier life overall.
There are a number of key duties that the clinical counselor will be able to do along the way. These include:
- Run weekly sessions for group counseling of juveniles
- Plan out the right treatment and discharge plans for all of their clients.
- Hold weekly sessions with their individual clients who are trying to overcome trauma, mental health issues, and addictions.
Forensic Social Worker
There are many situations in the life of a child that could be a challenge and may affect their own well-being. A forensic social worker will be able to step in during these situations and provide the patient with some of the help they need.
A forensic social worker is going to provide assistance to anyone who is undergoing challenges that could affect the wellbeing of the child. These can include child maltreatment, divorce, issues with child custody, juvenile arrests, imprisonment, and civil disputes. These can cause a good deal of challenge for the client and their family and they need guidance for it.
There are a lot of duties that the forensic social worker will be able to take on to help out during their career. Some of the key duties will include:
- Offering special treatment options for both the parents and the children
- Diagnose some of the various mental health disorders that could be at the root of the problem.
- Being an expert witness to what they have noticed during a child custody case.
Clinical Psychologist
A clinical psychologist is another career choice that you can make with this kind of degree. These professionals are going to work very closely with their patients in order to accurately diagnose different conditions including mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. Once they find what the patient is going through, the professional can provide the right treatment plan.
This can take some time for the patient and the therapist to work together to figure out what treatment will work the best for them. This will depend on what the patient needs the most, and the clinical psychologist will be able to help them through it all.
There are a lot of different responsibilities that the clinical psychologist will need to take on to provide the best care for their patient. Some of these include:
- Conduct research into some of the more complex behavioral health concepts so they can use them well for the patient.
- Performing a diagnostic test on the patient
- Helping the patient go through the psychotherapy sessions until the treatment is done and the patient is doing better.
- Helping the patient as well as their family members better understand what the issue is and how to manage those issues as well.
Choosing a Career in Forensic Psychology
There are a lot of rewarding careers that you can choose when you work in forensic psychology. You will be able to use your experience and skills to help out those when they need it most. And with so many great options out there to choose from, you are sure to find the right career for all your needs.
