- At what types of sites did you interview?
Forensic evaluation/treatment sites (i.e., state psychiatric hospitals, state and federal prisons).
- What was the general experience like --- 1:1, open house, etc.?
This varied from site to site. Generally speaking, I noticed that all of the state hospitals I interviewed at (most of which were forensic evaluation heavy) were really laid back, and I loved that. The BOP sites I interviewed at had a way more strict and regimented feel to them (and to be honest, it seemed they thought way more/highly of themselves in terms of ego than they actually were, which is also interesting to me in that most of my more esteemed forensic colleagues either avoid or get out of there as fast as they can because of the limitations on pay, private work, etc., but that’s a whole separate issue).
- Most common question(s)?
This varied as well; however, the most common I would say had to do with any previous ethical situations and how you handle them, how one conceptualizes clients while also considering diversity variables, why you’d be a good fit, what you want to do with your career.
- Any question(s) catch you off guard?
Not questions per se, but one site did ask me to interpret a Rorschach. My initial response was going to be “Well Dr. So and So, I feel it would be ethically problematic from a validity standpoint for me to have even given this instrument, largely due to the fact that any litigant/defendant could acquire the most popular responses for each card by hopping onto Wikipedia, which would consequently provide nothing incrementally to the totality of my data for this assessment.” My actual response was me making up stuff.
- If I were to do it all over again, I would...
Enjoy every minute of it. Looking back, I loved the whole process. I can’t think of another time in my life at this point where I will be flying all over the country, to some places I would never think of going, and other places while visiting family/friends along the way. It was a real fun time.
