Clinical psychology graduate students training for work as forensic mental health workers take courses related to mental health (for example, psychopathology (abnormal behavior), schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder) research methods, and consultation. Professors mentor graduate students to conduct research and supervise their original research for a dissertation. Clinical psychology students complete a year's internship at a mental health facility under the supervision of experienced clinicians.
Forensic psychologists trained in doctoral programs as developmental psychologists specialize in issues related to the development (normal and abnormal) of people from before birth to death. Graduate students in doctoral programs learn basic theories and issues related to development as well as how to conduct reliable research. They might specialize in the effects of child abuse, reliability of children's testimony, preparing children to testify, harassment in school, or elder abuse. When they graduate, these forensic psychologists can consult with members of the legal profession.
Forensic specialists fulfill a variety of roles for the legal system. They testify as expert witnesses about battered woman syndrome or rape trauma syndrome; they evaluate defendants to determine if they are competent to stand trail; they assess the risk of dangerousness of patients in mental health facilities who are about to be released; or they evaluate the victims of child abuse. These forensic experts can also influence the courts by filing Amicus Curiae (friends of the court) briefs.
The options for training in forensic mental health are expanding. You can get a J.D. (Juris Doctorate) degree in law at the same time you get a Ph.D. in psychology or an MSW Masters of Social Work. You can get a Ph.D. in psychology and the law or legal psychology. You can study for a Ph.D. in areas of experimental psychology with an emphasis on forensics.
According to Lawrence Wrightsman and Solomon Fulero, forensic psychology involves the application of psychological knowledge to aspects of the legal system. Forensic mental health specialists play a multitude of roles and have many possibilities as to where they work. They can work with the police department in testing and selection of police recruits, work with the legal system assessing the competency of defendants to stand trial, teach in universities, or go into private practice to provide consultation and services to the legal community.