Clinical Psychology

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Forensic psychology is concerned with the appli-
cation of psychological methods, theories, and
concepts to the legal system. Although Hugo
von Munsterberg’s 1908 book proclaimed that

psychology had much to offer to the legal system,

little influence was observed until the 1950s.

Today, the influence and popularity of forensic psy-

chology are apparent; many journals, books, and

psychology), I found my own interests and began

researching and studying those areas.

Furthermore, I didn’t know that much about

forensic assessments until I started graduate school.

Forensic assessments are comprehensive assessments

that often take place in the pretrial stage of legal

proceedings. For example, we can assess an offender’s

competence to stand trial, mental state at the time of

the offense, etc. It’s challenging and often sad, but I

also find it interesting to conceptualize and assess an

individual’s case, and I believe it’s important to help

courts make more informed decisions about offenders.

Looking back, what activities or experiences were the

most important for you in your graduate school

program?

To become a competent forensic clinical psychologist,

the first step is becoming a competent clinician. I’ve

attempted to develop my clinical skills as a foundation

to becoming a forensic psychologist. Before I began

assisting with forensic assessments or seeing clients on

my own, I took classes in which I practiced basic clinical

skills, studied theories of psychotherapies and different

clinical orientations (e.g., cognitive-behavioral ther-

apy), and sat in with other therapists. I feel that taking

things slowly and not jumping in right away has been

the key to understanding clinical work and becoming a

competent forensic practitioner.

Any additional hints for those trying to make it

through graduate school in clinical psychology?

First, a healthy work–life balance has been one of the

most important things for me to maintain. I’ve found

that at the end of the day, there’s always more that

can be done, but I think making time for my own life

has been essential to my happiness. Although I love

what I do, I also love my friends and family, and mak-

ing time for them has been a priority for me during

graduate school.

Second, my classmates have become some of my

best friends. We’ve created a collaborative environ-

ment where we help each other out academically but

also have become support systems both in and out of

school. If you can make friends out of your peers, it will

make your graduate experience much healthier and

much more fun.

Finally, I’ve found that your mentor can help

make or break your graduate experience. I’ve been

lucky that my mentor and I have similar styles. He has

tried to make graduate school as manageable as pos-

sible and has let me choose what I’m capable of doing

and not doing. Although everyone has different

styles, make sure you assess your own and your

potential mentor’s style before starting a graduate

program.

Lizzy Foster

Lizzy Foster

FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY 559