Career Paths in Forensic Psychology: A Primer for a Rewarding Career at the Intersection of Law and Psychology

Career Paths in Forensic Psychology offers a comprehensive introduction and guide to the varied career paths for aspiring forensic psychologists, showing what a rewarding career at the intersection of law and psychology can look like in practice.

The book is divided into five parts. Part I provides an overview of the field of forensic psychology and also briefly explores its origins and evolution in the United States. Additionally, it explores common professional activities of forensic psychologists, as well as common career settings in which they ply their trade (academic settings, clinical settings, policy settings). Part II examines employment in academic settings, chiefly research academia, practice-oriented academia, and teaching-focused academia. Part III discusses opportunities for clinical-forensic psychology practice, in both the public sector and in private practice settings. Part IV considers career opportunities for policy-interested forensic psychologists, including in government agencies and policy-focused non-profit organizations. Finally, Part V gives readers tips on how to pick the best career “home base” for themselves, considers supplemental opportunities that forensic psychologists can pursue if their “home base” does not scratch all their professional itches, and provides guidance on how to put one’s best foot forward as a forensic psychologist and be a worthy representative of the field.

This book is an ideal resource for students of forensic psychology and early-career forensic psychologists looking to start and progress their career in academic, clinical, and policy settings, as well as practicing psychologists looking to navigate career changes and transitions.

Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo, J.D., Ph.D., is a forensic mental health policy professional at a non-profit organization on the East Coast, U.S.A. He also maintains a forensic mental health evaluation and consulting private practice. Additionally, he is Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Drexel University’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. His research interests include mental health policy, forensic mental health assessment, therapeutic jurisprudence, and the prevention and reduction of criminal behavior and recidivism.

Alisha Desai, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of the Center for Values-Based Living, a mental health private practice and consulting firm. Her research and clinical interests focus on trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue across the healthcare, humanitarian aid, and criminal legal sectors.

Simone Grisamore, M.S., is a doctoral student in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Her research and clinical interests include community-based alternatives to incarceration and the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

David DeMatteo, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP (Forensic), is Professor of Psychology and Professor of Law at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and Director of Drexel’s J.D./Ph.D. Program in Law and Psychology. He is Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 1, 12, and 41) and is board-certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a former president of the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the American Psychological Association) and the American Board of Forensic Psychology, and he is Editor-in-Chief of Law and Human Behavior.