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Forensic psychology is the art of blending psychology and the law. One type of forensic psychologist works exclusively in civil litigation. These experts perform many different functions in the field and will also spend a great deal of time in court. One of the main functions of civil forensic psychologists was to determination both sanity and competence. They will have to determine a patients symptoms, make the appropriate diagnosis, evaluate for treatment options and, in many cases, make recommendations. Another area of specialty are family issues. These specialists work in both child custody and child abuse cases. They interview entire families to determination the group dynamics and then make recommendations based on their diagnosis and present these recommendations on the stand in open court.
One of the problems that practicing forensic psychologist must always be aware of however is conflict of interest. The American Psychology Association has a very detailed set of standards the severely limit practitioners from engaging in multiple role relationships. There are two types of psychology: Forensic and Therapeutic. In some cases a therapeutic psychologist working in private will work as a consultant for an attorney in a civil case. The psychologist must make certain that there is no connection between their practice and anyone connected to the case. A professional must learn how to maintain a professional attitude in all cases and this is usually difficult if the psychologist if they are personally involved in any way. The switch from one roll to another can be difficult as well because a therapeutic psychologists must learn to empathize with their patients and a forensic psychologist must remain completely dispassionate when analyzing evidence collected in interviews.
These two types of psychologist gather information in much the same way, through interviews, but the analysis is done differently. A therapist will want to determine the problem with an eye toward a therapeutic plan and probable long term treatment. A forensic psychologist however will look at the evidence for a persons capability or state of mind at the present time and try to predict future behavior. In some cases a forensic psychologist will make recommendations on possible treatment, but this is not their only function.
Forensic psychology then can be an extremely challenging but very rewarding career as well. A forensic psychologist with 10 years experience can easily earn more than $100,000 a year and in many case forensic psychologists are afforded a great deal of travel, especially if they are working for a government agency or large corporation.
