Careers in Psychology

BEH/225 Final

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There are many professions that I am interested in but after taking this class, I realized that there were many professions that I was interested in that use Behavioral Science. Professional careers, such as Police Officers, 911 Dispatchers, Nurse, Doctors, Customer Service Reps and basically anyone that deal with people or have the need know how people think and act would benefit from the study of behavioral science.
One profession that I would be very interest in learning more about would Forensic Psychology. This profession is something I have always been interested in because it deals with two things that I am interested in Criminal Justice and Psychology. This career interests me because it involves the understanding of why people think the way that they think and act accordingly. Forensic Psychologist focus on improving communication between the counselor, the individual and other people in the individual’s life, such as family members or even coworkers. Forensic Psychologist work in many parts of the criminal justice system, for example, law enforcement agencies, corrections, private law firms, juvenile detention centers, behavioral health units, and mental health units.
According to the Education portal (n.d.), “Forensic psychology pairs the study of the human mind with the workings of the legal system. Forensic psychologists help investigators, attorneys and judges interpret the psychological aspects of criminal and civil cases. Depending on their position, these specialized professionals could perform competency evaluations, provide counseling sessions, evaluate witnesses and assist with investigations.” (para. 1)
In order to become a Forensic psychologist, an individual would need to obtain a doctoral degree in psychology, usually in clinical, counseling or forensic psychology. These types of degrees usually take about 5 to 7 years of graduate study to complete and admission into doctoral programs is extremely competitive. Once the individual has completed the doctoral degree they would have to be certified with the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). This is to ensure that the individual has met the proper standards of a certified professional and is recognized by “judicial decisions, regulations, and statutes in some jurisdictions as the standard of professional competence in forensic psychology.”
The second profession that I would be interested in learning more about would be working as an Analyst or criminologist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) otherwise known as the Behavioral Research and Instruction Unit (BRIU). The BRIU was put into place to gain a better understanding of the criminal mind and why some people have criminal thoughts and act on them. I am interested in this profession because I have always been interested in the reason that criminals act the way that they do. For example, what possess a person to commit a crime against a child? This is something that I would never imagine doing but some people do not believe that there is anything wrong with it. My question is what drives them to commit these crimes? I believe that all people have the ability and mentality to commit crime but I am more interested in why some people act on their impulses and some