Forensic psychologist
Find out why people commit crimes. Help offenders to make positive changes in their behaviour.
Also known as: legal psychologist, investigative psychologist, criminal psychologist
About the job
What it's like
You would try to find out why people commit crimes and help them to make positive changes in their behaviour.
You would rehabilitate and treat offenders or mental health patients in prisons, high security hospitals and specialist mental health residential units.
You could be working with violent or sexual offenders, young people and high-risk offenders with severe personality disorders. You’d help each person to understand why they act as they do, and find ways they can overcome their problems and behaviour patterns.
This can be a challenging job: you may have to deal with people acting aggressively, including possibly verbal or even physical assault. You’d need to have patience, empathy and a genuine desire to help people.
You would:
Assess an offender and their behaviour
Advise on the best location for prisoners
Develop treatment and rehabilitation programmes for offenders
Provide psychological therapy to help offenders make positive changes
Offer expert advice to parole boards, mental health review tribunals or court cases
Produce formal written reports
You would also help to write policies and strategies for helping offenders, safely and effectively, and train and mentor trainee psychologists.
You would look for ways to reduce stress and improve life inside prisons for staff and prisoners. For example, you could advise on managing offenders or lead workshops on issues such as coping with bullying.
You might use techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to challenge the way people view themselves and the world.
You could also support police investigations by doing criminal profiling.
You’d do research into the cause and effect of criminal behaviour to improve and develop professional practice.
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Top skills
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It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- understanding
- making decisions
- ethical
- observation
- problem solving
- written communication
- verbal communication
- listening
- cooperating
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Biology
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Chemistry
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Human Biology
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Psychology
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Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies - RMPS
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Skills for Work: Health and Social Care
Becoming a forensic psychologist involves taking a postgraduate training route.
You'll need the following qualifications:
A psychology degree (SCQF Level 10) accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS. You're accredited degree will qualify you for membership. If you don't have a BPS accredited degree you can gain membership by completing an accredited conversion course
Once you've gained GBC membership, you can start your postgraduate training. This includes:
A BPS accredited Master's in Forensic Psychology (SCQF Level 11)
A BPS qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2. This involves two years of supervised practice
Some universities offer a Doctorate (SCQF Level 12) which combines a Master's and the Stage 2 qualification.
Your postgraduate training will qualify you for Chartered Membership of the BPS.
To start work as a forensic psychologist you'll need to register with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
To enter an Honours degree (SCQF level 10) in psychology usually requires National 5 qualifications and four to five Highers, often in one sitting.
Qualifications that show understanding of counselling, health and wellbeing such as:
Skills for Work Health and Social Care (SCQF 6)
SQA Wellbeing Award
To register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to practice as psychologist
To pass a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Disclosure check
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