Clinical Forensic Psychology
Definition
The branch of forensic psychology concerned with individual-level assessment for court purposes, including competency evaluations, insanity assessments, and violence risk assessment.
- Focus
- Individual-level assessment for court
- Includes
- Competency, insanity, violence risk evaluations
- Practitioner
- Licensed clinical or forensic psychologist
- Distinguishes from
- Research-focused forensic psychology
Common questions
How does clinical forensic psychology differ from general forensic psychology?+
General forensic psychology covers the broader study of law and psychology including research, policy, and jury behaviour, while clinical forensic psychology specifically applies clinical assessment skills to individual evaluations that a court requests, such as fitness to stand trial or risk of future violence.
What makes a competency evaluation different from a routine clinical assessment?+
A competency evaluation is structured around a specific legal question, such as whether the person understands the charges and can assist counsel, and the psychologist must communicate findings to the court in terms the legal standard requires rather than purely clinical diagnostic language.
Related terms
- ANZAPPL
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, the primary regional professional society for forensic mental health practitioners.
- AP-LS
- American Psychology-Law Society, APA Division 41, the primary US professional society for forensic psychology, publisher of Law and Human Behavior.
- APA Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology
- The 2013 APA document setting professional and ethical standards for forensic psychologists in the US across eleven sections covering responsibilities, competence, relationships,...
- BPS Division of Forensic Psychology
- The British Psychological Society division that accredits forensic psychology training and awards Chartered Forensic Psychologist status in the UK.
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- Forensic Psychology
- The application of psychological science to questions arising in legal, criminal justice, and public policy contexts, spanning clinical assessment, investigative practice, and...
- Frye Standard
- The US legal test for admissibility of scientific evidence, originating from Frye v. United States (1923), which required that a technique be...
- IHBAS
- Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi, providing forensic mental health evaluations under the Delhi state government framework.
- Investigative Psychology
- David Canter's empirically grounded approach to behavioural analysis, using multivariate statistical methods and systematic case comparison rather than clinical inference from interview-based...
- NIMHANS
- National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore; India's principal academic forensic mental health centre, providing court-ordered assessments and limited forensic treatment...
- Rehabilitation Council of India
- Indian statutory body regulating clinical psychology (and related professions); requires M.Phil. (Clinical Psychology) as the minimum registration qualification; no distinct forensic psychology...