Careers in Psychology and Law:
Training Opportunities in Psychology and Law

The field of psychology and law involves the application of psychological principles to legal concerns, and the interaction of psychology and law for individuals involved in the legal process. Psychologists trained in psychology and law provide psycho-legal research in a variety of areas, develop mental health legal and public policies, and work as both lawyers and psychologists within legal and clinical arenas.

The American Psychology-Law Society, Division 41 of the APA, is actively involved in the training and career development of psychologists within the field of psychology and law. Information on academic training programs is an important component for the continued growth of the field. We also have a listing and brief description of academic programs (Graduate Programs in Psychology and Law) that provide psychology and law training. This includes joint Ph.D./J.D. programs, Ph.D. programs with an emphasis on psychology and law, and M.A. programs with psychology and law course work.

As the field of psychology and law has grown in recent decades, a variety of training programs have been developed to meet the needs of students interested in interdisciplinary study and work. Detailed information about admission requirements, curricula, internships and practice opportunities, and job opportunities for graduates can be obtained by contacting the individual programs. 

Postgraduate training opportunities
Many psychologists who work in the law obtained their training only after they completed their Ph.D. or Psy.D. (or perhaps after they completed their coursework prior to completing a dissertation). This is especially true for clinical-forensic psychologists. Typically, during the course of graduate training in another sub discipline of psychology, these students have become interested in some aspect of the law. They then conduct research or seek an internship in a setting that allows them to pursue that interest. Several post-doctoral training opportunities are now available in psychology and law and most do not require previous experience or training in the law. These experiences give the student an opportunity to develop high-level clinical and/or research skills that will assist them in understanding the legal contexts in which they will work. See current post-doctoral listings on the jobs page.

Post-graduate training opportunities in other sub-disciplines of psychology and law are arranged informally.

 

Publications in Psychology and Law Training

Below is a list of publications describing the training opportunities available to the student interested in psychology and law. 

Bersoff, D.  (1999).  Preparing for two cultures:  Education and training in law and psychology.  In Roesch, R., Hart, S., & Ogloff, J. (Eds.). Psychology and law:  The state of the discipline.  New York:  Kluwer/Plenum.

Bersoff, D., Goodman-Delahunty, J., Grisso, T., Hans, V., Poythress, N., & Roesch, R.  (1997).  Training in law and psychology: Models from the Villanova conference. American Psychologist. Vol 52(12), 1301-1310.

Freeman, R. & Roesch, R. (1992). Psycholegal education: Training for forum and function. In D.K. Kagehiro & W.S. Laufer (Eds.) Handbook of psychology and law. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Kuther, T. L. (2003). Your career in psychology: Psychology and law. Wadsworth. 

Melton, G., Huss, M., and Tomkins, A. (1999).  Training in forensic psychology and the law.  In Hess, A. and Weiner, I. (Eds), The handbook of forensic psychology (2nd ed.).  NY: Wiley.

Ogloff, J.R., Tomkins, A.J., & Bersoff, D.N., (1996). Education and training in psychology and law/criminal justice: Historical foundations, present structures, and future developments. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23, 200-235.