PhD/PsyD Forensic sites

[psydstudent2020]

Another question - regarding forensic evaluation, would it be better to attend one of the frequently mentioned as having solid forensic training (Florida state, Pueblo, and Fulton) or a site in the state you want to practice in that only has a 4 or 6 month rotation in forensic evaluation?

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[psydstudent2020]

For those currently or having previously completed a formal forensic post-doc, where did you complete internship? Did your internship provide one rotation in forensics or year-round training? Did you find it difficult to get many interviews? Thank you!

 

[psydstudent2020]

As PhdToBe and Buckeye said, you need to prioritize the sites that allow you to conduct the forensic interview and prepare the report. The sites you've listed probably offer lighter forensic experiences than might be seen at other places. For other applicants who might have the same question, I'll list out the places that jump out immediately as having solid forensic training (in no particular order):

BOP (Butner, Springfield, Devens, Rochester, Metropolitan and Lexington)
Western SH,
Arkansas SH
Patton
Atascadero
Pueblo
State Operated
Florida SH
Fulton
Central Regional
Maybe Eastern Virginia MS

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital - Last I heard, they offer a decent training experience in risk assessment but the site wasn't entirely forensic

Mississippi State Hospital - I've also heard about the team assessments. Would be a pass for me.

Center for Behavioral Medicine - Clinical Track - cool site, but more clinically oriented

Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan - they are now affiliated with the University of Denver Internship Consortium, which is something to consider.

Broughton Hospital - I remember passing on this site because forensic evaluations were only available as an ~8-hour/week secondary rotation.

Northeast Florida State Hospital - Probably the most forensic site out of this bunch. I knew of one person that enjoyed their experience there, but admittedly, I don't know a ton about their program.

Laureate Hospital - never heard of it

Thank you! In what order would you recommend Pueblo, Fulton, and Florida State?

 

[boomshakalaka]

That is totally for you to decide! I think it is important that you start to weigh in how you felt about each site during the interviews. You can only get so far asking a bunch of randos on the internet. Assuming you have other relevant forensic experience, most of the time an internship site isn't going to make or break your chances at getting a formal postdoc. Much of that groundwork is done during your formative training experiences during grad school.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Mod Note: I've gone ahead and merged a handful of similar threads related to forensic internship sites and postdocs to help consolidate the information and make it easier to find/review for folks with similar questions.

There may be a few difficult-to-follow posts because of the merge, but the order of temporal order should hopefully still help folks review the provided responses.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

So you're right. This is going to vary based on the site, state, and culture of the site/views of the supervisor. Personally, I would never rank any site high where I wouldn't be the one doing the actual interview from front to back, especially the forensic interview. What you want is the supervisor in the room with you while this is happening, whereby they can observe you, ask questions that aren't asked, and provide supervision about how you did during the interview.

That was my internship experience regarding forensic evaluations and it was EXTREMELY helpful. Especially in regards to the line of questioning needed to establish sanity