Forensic Emphasis Overview
The forensic emphasis at Alliant provides PhD and PsyD clinical psychology students with the knowledge, skills and experience to effectively work with criminal populations and within criminal and civil legal settings.
If you envision working with a wide-range of law enforcement, correctional, legal, and medical professionals, this forensic emphasis can help open doors to the criminal and civil justice systems of therapeutic jurisprudence.
The emphasis in forensics in clinical psychology covers diverse needs relating to:
- Divorce
- Custody mediation
- Worker’s compensation
- Evaluations
- Disability evaluations
- Child abuse
- And adoption
The Alliant forensic clinical psychology emphasis program is offered with the following clinical psychology programs:
The Sacramento campus offers a related emphasis program in correctional psychology, which provides the necessary knowledge and hands-on experience to practice clinical work exclusively to offender populations. Contact an admissions counselor if you have questions determining whether the clinical forensic psychology or correctional psychology emphasis is right for you.
Skills Obtained from Emphasis Program
The Alliant forensic psychology training program gives you a comprehensive foundation from which to draw as you begin your practicum and enter the workforce as a forensic clinical psychologist. Throughout the emphasis program and upon completion, you will:
- Use and comprehend assessment tools and diagnostic criteria to evaluate and apply therapy
- Research, analyze, and articulate federal and state mental health laws and their effect on the criminal and non-criminal population
- Learn to professionally, legally, and ethically interact with clients and other professionals
- Develop culturally-sensitive interpersonal communication skills to support ongoing relationships with clients and professionals in a diverse population
- Analyze and critically evaluate former and new clinical psychology and clinical forensic psychology research and scholarly articles
Forensic Psychology Experience Area
To complete the forensic emphasis, you must:
- Take a minimum of ten units of forensic courses
- Acquire at least 500 practicum hours in each of two clinical forensic settings
- Complete a dissertation on a forensic psychology topic; you are strongly encouraged to complete a pre-doctoral internship in a forensic psychology setting
Clinical Forensic Psychology Classes
Required courses include:
- Introduction to forensic psychology
- Forensic ethics
- Forensic report writing/expert testimony
- Forensic risk assessment
- Forensic psychology competency evaluations
- Clinical psychology and law
Additional Recommended Courses:
- Psychology of negotiation, bargaining, and dispute resolution
- Assessing and remediating legal competencies
- Child custody/mediation
- Disabilities, law, and families
Contribute to a Specialized Field in Forensic Psychology
As a university, we believe it is important to provide our students with pathways to specific careers and practices. Call (866) 825-5426 or contact an admissions counselor today to learn more about how the Alliant clinical forensic psychology emphasis will prepare you for this growing and important field of clinical psychology.