Forensic psych advice/gap year opportunities?

[Epak333]

Hi all,

I am taking a gap year before applying to a doctorate program with hopes of becoming a forensic psychologist. Some of my interests include rehabilitation of those wrongfully convicted, assessment and intervention for those with extreme mental illness who have been convicted of violent crimes, and equine therapy for inmates. I would most likely want to work in a prison, with the Innocence Project, and possibly do consults for the FBI. I am curious to hear what steps I should take to get there/any advice at all? And what should I be doing in my gap year? With a bachelors, it's unfortunately very hard to get experience with this population.

Thanks!

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[Justanothergrad]

Gap year research doesn't have to be your area of interest. The outcomes you are looking is specific (1) specific research skill building (e.g., analyses), and (2) product creation (i.e., posters/paper authorship contribution). We understand that not every opportunity is everywhere in the country, and reasonable people dont expect that you'll be so aware of yourself as 16 that you picked the exact college to go to for when you were 23/24 planning the rest of your life. Focus on the tangibles. Any lab can have the same result. If you can find a lab with any aspect of what you are interested in, it may be useful to you in a particularly strong way.

Eg..,
prisons = total institutions, so any total institution research would be useful.
forensic = assessment focused labs
violence = aggression, anger, conflict related labs
severe mental illness is a subgroup
etc.

 

[Epak333]

Gap year research doesn't have to be your area of interest. The outcomes you are looking is specific (1) specific research skill building (e.g., analyses), and (2) product creation (i.e., posters/paper authorship contribution). We understand that not every opportunity is everywhere in the country, and reasonable people dont expect that you'll be so aware of yourself as 16 that you picked the exact college to go to for when you were 23/24 planning the rest of your life. Focus on the tangibles. Any lab can have the same result. If you can find a lab with any aspect of what you are interested in, it may be useful to you in a particularly strong way.

Eg..,
prisons = total institutions, so any total institution research would be useful.
forensic = assessment focused labs
violence = aggression, anger, conflict related labs
severe mental illness is a subgroup
etc.

Yes you're absolutely right about it not having to be directly forensic! I also find that you learn more about what you actually want to do from doing things that you end up not liking lol. For reference I have 1.5 years experience as an RA in a research lab studying sexuality, substance abuse, and aggression. I also have worked for the past year as an animal therapy specialist with individuals who have intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities, TBIs, genetic disorders, mental illness, and behavioral/emotional issues, many of whom would be in jail if they weren't there. 1 year experience as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line and 6 months tutoring inmates for their GED. Just curious if this is sufficient to get into grad school, and if I could keep working as an animal therapy specialist during my gap year or if I should look for a different job?

 

[Dr.Snowyplover601]

I did some work with the Innocence Project, and while not directly related to any of the research/ clinical stuff I ended up doing in graduate school, it did give me a preview of what it would be like to be in the courtroom, providing testimony, and producing content that had the potential to be torn apart by lawyers. Also, I've been asked about it in almost every clinical interview I've had since then!

In sum, it can't hurt to get creative with your experiences.

 

[PsyDr]

Equine therapy is basically saying “people like horses”. It’s no different me saying “punching people is therapeutic, therapy”.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

rehabilitation of those wrongfully convicted

So wait, like therapy for people who have been wrongfully convicted and then released and are now having to deal with being back in the community?

 

[ClinicalABA]

So wait, like therapy for people who have been wrongfully convicted and then released and are now having to deal with being back in the community?

I had similar question- OP gets into that in another thread: Masters in Forensic Psych or MSW

They are talking about work with something like the Innocence Project, where convictions have been overturned

 

[Epak333]

Equine therapy is basically saying “people like horses”. It’s no different me saying “punching people is therapeutic, therapy”.

I'm well aware, I have just worked with a number of individuals helping them learn to ride horses (not really sure what else to call it, my job title is "animal assisted therapy specialist" and I have read a number of articles about felons/previously incarcerated individuals and the benefits of riding horses which I would love to be a part of). I know it's not technically therapy but it can be helpful for a number of things, especially those with anxiety. Complementary to actual therapy.

 

[Epak333]

I did some work with the Innocence Project, and while not directly related to any of the research/ clinical stuff I ended up doing in graduate school, it did give me a preview of what it would be like to be in the courtroom, providing testimony, and producing content that had the potential to be torn apart by lawyers. Also, I've been asked about it in almost every clinical interview I've had since then!

In sum, it can't hurt to get creative with your experiences.

That's really awesome! Most people I've talked to say that the positions working for the Innocence Project are more related to advocacy/law, but it would be super cool to somehow look into the psychology of it. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Epak333]

So wait, like therapy for people who have been wrongfully convicted and then released and are now having to deal with being back in the community?

Yes that's mostly what I would like to do, kind of helping with reentry and getting situated into society again. I know it's a very small population of people who are exonerated after wrongful convictions but it would be cool to somehow work with them. Maybe even just doing research.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Yes that's mostly what I would like to do, kind of helping with reentry and getting situated into society again. I know it's a very small population of people who are exonerated after wrongful convictions but it would be cool to somehow work with them. Maybe even just doing research.

I'm certain there are others focusing on this area already, but if you're willing to expand to working with all individuals who've been released from incarceration on their re-integration into society (and maybe carving out a portion of your time specifically for those who were exonerated), you'd have a very large potential client/patient population. The difficulties there, though, would potentially be: A) motivation, and B) financial resources/ability to pay. Might be some grants out there for that type of work, though.

 

[Epak333]

I'm certain there are others focusing on this area already, but if you're willing to expand to working with all individuals who've been released from incarceration on their re-integration into society (and maybe carving out a portion of your time specifically for those who were exonerated), you'd have a very large potential client/patient population. The difficulties there, though, would potentially be: A) motivation, and B) financial resources/ability to pay. Might be some grants out there for that type of work, though.

Yes I would absolutely be willing to work with them---motivation is huge! People can only do better for themselves if they actually want to. My main goal would be to work in a prison directly with those incarcerated, but I'm interested in so many aspects of forensics that I could definitely see myself working with a number of populations.

 

[Dr.Snowyplover601]

That's really awesome! Most people I've talked to say that the positions working for the Innocence Project are more related to advocacy/law, but it would be super cool to somehow look into the psychology of it. Thanks for sharing!

I got lucky; the case I was working on had a psychology-related aspect to it, where the accused was presenting with trauma symptoms related to her vocation. Because of that it had the advocacy/law aspect and I got to do relevant research!

 

[Indiana_Jane]

I took a gap year, worked as a child advocate, and as a psychiatric technician with SMI. Gained additional research experience then completed grad school with relatively limited forensic/correctional experience. Join listservs, volunteer if the opportunity fits, and know that there are a plethora of clinical or clinical adjacent activities that will apply to these populations (e.g., trauma, SUDs).

Completed a BOP internship (with a heavy SMI/forensic emphasis) and I am now finishing a forensic postdoc. Accepted a full time position as a forensic evaluator and pursuing ABPP. All of this to say - get as much relevant experience as you can, but focus more on solid clinical training.

If you have a solid foundation of clinical skills, you’ll be better prepared to develop your niche down the road. Wrote quickly but happy to chat more.