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what's your schedule like being a forensic psychiatrist? Is it busy and difficult?
hi, i'm alisen, a rising sophomore who needs a forensic psychiatrist to interview for a career blog project. #forensics #psychology #psych #criminal-justice
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Blanche’s Answer
Great question! I can answer as a forensic psychologist rather than a forensic psychiatrist. As a forensic psychologist, you might have a private practice, you might work for the court system or in some other community agency, or you might work in a state psychiatric hospital. My experience in forensic psychology took place in a state psychiatric hospital, where I carried out a number of different responsibilities. I performed two kinds of psychological evaluations for the courts: evaluations of defendants' competency to stand trial and evaluations of defendants' mental status ("sanity") at the time of the offense; I helped with the rehabilitation of people who had been acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity; and I provided feedback and consultation to other psychologists and psychiatrists on their forensic evaluation reports for the courts. I spent time interviewing defendants and acquittees, studying police reports and other documentation about criminal behavior and mental health concerns, reaching conclusions based upon the laws of the governmental system within which I worked (in my case it was a U.S. state, but other forensic psychologists work on cases for the federal government or an international body), writing detailed reports for submission to a judge and attorneys, teaching defendants about the court system, doing clinical work (psychotherapy) with defendants and acquittees, and helping multi-disciplinary treatment teams work most effectively with defendants and acquittees. I also taught other mental health workers about the court system, taught law enforcement and court personnel about mental health issues, and provided education about forensic mental health issues to members of the public. A job like this is typically very busy with a variable daily schedule.