Top 5 Forensic Psychology Jobs for 2022

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The field of forensic psychology is rapidly growing and changing to fit the needs of the modern world. It is becoming more apparent that pursuing a career in forensic psychology is a perfect choice for anyone who is passionate about psychology and criminal justice! 

Finding the right career path within the field is where the difficult choices begin to arise. There is a wide range of possibilities to choose from and finding the right one to fit your passions and your career goals can be overwhelming. 

In 2022, there are a few career paths in the field of forensic psychology that are emerging as the next best choice for pursuing your passions and building a successful career for yourself!

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Correctional Counselor 

The demand for professional and effective correctional counselors has greatly risen in the last few years as mental health professionals look for better ways to meet the psychological needs of inmates. With the demand for these counselors rising, students pursuing forensic psychology can explore their passion by helping inmates with their mental health struggles and making a difference in the correctional system. 

A correctional counselor works in correctional facilities and collaborates with the rest of the staff to provide mental healthcare for all of the inmates and promote a healthy environment in the facility. They assist their patients in identifying their mental health problems, creating a care plan for them, and supporting and counseling them through their journey. 

They manage parole planning for the inmates under their supervision and make important decisions in how to help them adjust to their environment. The decisions and opinions of correctional counselors are highly valued as they bring new insight into the wellbeing of the population in the correctional facilities they work in and assist the rest of the staff in managing things appropriately and safely. 

Not only can correctional counselors put their passions in forensic psychology to good use, but they are also in high demand and can make a very good living while pursuing their passions. 

Becoming a correctional counselor is a great career path to putting your passion for forensic psychology to use and making a big difference in the lives of people in the corrections system. 

Jury Consultant 

Court can be a very tense environment and there are a lot of moving parts that can leave everyone involved overwhelmed and overworked. Jury consultants are becoming highly sought after in the courtroom because of their important role in ensuring that things are conducted legally and efficiently for everyone involved. 

A jury consultant works hard with trial teams to develop the case in the early stages of litigation and continues to collaborate with the rest of the team to ensure that everything moves along smoothly. One of their duties in the courtroom is selecting the right jury to fit the case. Attorneys will often bring in a skilled jury consultant to help them vet potential jurors and make sure the jury that attends court is unbiased and fit for the position. 

Jury consultants get to use their background in forensic psychology to assist court proceedings as well as getting to experience the wide range of court cases that they participate in. 

Forensic Social Worker

In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that the field of social work is a crucial moving part of a healthy society, and it is chronically understaffed. Becoming a forensic social worker is a perfect career choice for anyone with a passion for forensic psychology and a drive to improve the lives of the people in their community. 

Forensic social workers collaborate with a wide range of professionals in various correctional, justice, and social services.  They focus on promoting healthy and safe environments for their clients and creating and implementing effective and efficient care plans to resolve conflict when problems do arise. 

They strive to improve the overall mental and physical wellbeing of their clients and promote good behaviors in their communities while being an advocate for victims of crimes and abuse. 

Becoming a forensic social worker will allow you to enter a chronically understaffed profession while finding a fulfilling career in helping people through the lens of forensic psychology. 

Expert Witness 

Attorneys are always looking for the right expert opinion to bring in as a witness for their case in court. Expert witnesses are a crucial part of any court case and in recent years the opinion of expert witnesses that specialize in the field of forensic psychology has been highly sought after. 

As an expert witness, you can be brought onto a case to give your professional opinion on a specific part of a case. With your background in forensic psychology, you will be valued as an important witness to the case and will give the jury and the rest of the court more context to make an informed decision about the case. 

Expert witnesses who specialize in forensic psychology are sought out by attorneys looking for a professional who can give their expert opinion on the stand in court. Forensic psychology is such an important field when it comes to effective witness testimony on the stand because very few professionals have the expertise needed to give the appropriate context to parts of the case that are difficult for the rest of the court to understand properly. 

Taking your background in forensic psychology and becoming a professional expert witness to aid in the justice system is one of the top forensic psychology jobs that is becoming more and more prominent in 2022. 

Forensic Psychology Counselor 

Forensic psychology is a broad field with lots of different professions and career paths within the overall community. It can be difficult to choose from the range of professions when you want to keep your options open. One of the best career paths for anyone with a background in forensic psychology is becoming a forensic psychology counselor.

Forensic psychology counseling allows you to work with a wide range of people and organizations as well as gives you more variety concerning what kind of cases you handle. These professionals collaborate with a variety of different organizations and assist in jobs like expert witnessing, law enforcement, criminal risk assessments, and many other important areas of psychology. 

The overall goal of this form of counseling is identifying mental health problems, ensuring that everyone involved is safe and healthy, and creating a care plan to address the identified problems in their clients. Forensic psychology counselors work closely with law enforcement to handle difficult cases with individuals who are not always in the best state of mind. They work tirelessly to ensure that everything is carried out legally and healthily for the safety and wellbeing of the client and the other professionals involved. 

Using your background in forensic psychology and getting involved with a variety of different organizations to promote the wellbeing and safety of everyone involved is a great way to be successful in one of the top forensic psychology jobs in modern times. 

Pursue your passions 

The field of psychology is ever-growing and evolving to fit the needs and demands of the modern world. In 2022 there are still many different areas of forensic psychology that are in high demand and are a great opportunity for young professionals to find success and fulfillment in their careers. 

Using your background in forensic psychology and entering the workforce as one of the top forensic psychology jobs in 2022 is the best way to pursue your passions and make a big difference in your community.