Specialized practice in forensic psychology: Opportunities and obstacles

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of the need for psychology practitioners to provide expertise to the legal system on a wide variety of topics. One of the difficulties for psychologists has been that the demand for such services has at times outstripped the capacity of the field to train practitioners to provide these services in a competent and ethical manner. Furthermore, many psychologists are not aware of the types of knowledge and training required to perform these services. This article describes the knowledge base and skills that distinguish the specialty of forensic psychology and the types of training required to practice in this field.