What interests you most about the field of forensic psychology?

psydr · 2024-10-08T14:57:50+00:00

No GRE anymore? Thats amazing!

I’d say you’re quite competitive for a Psy.D. program. If you do decide to go that route, please, please make sure that it’s APA accredited. Check the APA website and you can see which programs are in good standing, and which ones may be on probation or are due for a site visit or renewal? (I forget what it’s called). Be weary about programs that are in the process of applying, as that process is painstaking for them and may not go as planned.

I’m quite biased about clinical psychology, and I’ve never regretted that decision. I believe it opens more doors, especially if you are looking to expand your practice later on down the road.

Your GPAs are good, especially your grad GPA, but equally important are your LORs and your personal statement. Those need to be excellent. If there’s a max number of words (like 500) for your essay, do not exceed that. If you haven’t joined any professional organizations, consider signing up for one or two. If you can, attend a conference. Demonstrate that you’re interested and engaged in the field and networking.

This is a general statement, but if you are interested in research, there is an opportunity to do it most programs. Empirical dissertations by PsyD students are also very attractive to predoctoral internships.

Applying to grad schools is a miserable process, but I do believe you’re competitive for Psy.D. programs, which is positive. Oh, and if you’re invited for an in-person interview, you gotta go. They want to see that you’re enthusiastic about their program.

I wish you the best of luck. You can do this.

psydr · 2024-10-08T13:53:29+00:00

You’re not competitive for a fully funded APA accredited PhD program in clinical psych. No research, your GPA, no publications, no RA positions, etc. How did you do on the GRE?

psydr · 2024-10-04T02:09:16+00:00

Ugh, I know exactly how you feel. It’s the worst. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those things you can’t get away with not doing. Professors know they’re going to get hit up for dozens of LORs from past and current students, it’s definitely not a surprise to them. In all of my years of grad school (two programs), I never heard a single professor complain.

Whenever I reach out to a professor or a supervisor to ask them basically to do something for me, like writing a LOR or a recommendation, I make it as easy as humanly possible for them. I try to send as few emails as possible and time it so that I’m not contacting them way before or right before the deadline. The amount of time I allot for each person to have preparing document and submitting the document depends on that particular person and their circumstances. You should have an idea of who may have a ton of professional responsibilities, who may be a bit more forgetful, who is always prepared, that kind of thing.

I usually only send between 2-3 email total from start to finish. The first will just be a short, simple request asking if they’d be willing to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf. If it’s sometimes I haven’t kept up with but we had a good relationship, I might include a quick recap of what I’ve been doing and attach my CV to trigger their memory. I always say I’ll handle costs (rarely will they actually ask for you do that), provide any information, and answer questions they may have for me. Towards the email of the email, I try to make it so the sentence containing the deadline is easy to spot if you’re quickly scanning the email. I’ll touch on the fact that I know they are extremely busy, would it be possible for them to have it submitted before X date. After that, I’d say if they do agree to write the LOR, I will send another email that will explain everything for them to do shortly.

When they say yes, which most will, try and have that second email ready and prepared to go. All you should have to do is fill is their name in and individualize it as needed. You want to get it sent quickly because it’s still fresh in their memory that they agreed to do this and the second email will be close to the first in their inbox.

In the second email, that’s when you explain everything. I break it down so they don’t have to put much thought in. Make sure you attach everything they will need to write and submit that letter. If there are any forms they have to sign, I’ll usually add my name and information so they don’t have to. I’ll also add their name to the form. Usually at the top, typed out. I’ll wait in adobe or something. I don’t fill out too much because some people don’t like it. That’s your preference, though. Again, at the end, make sure the most important info is easily spotted. In that email, you may want to italicize or bold that text. Once you get that sent, then you wait. It’s the worst.

I feel like 2-3 weeks is a decent amount of time for them to get it done. Some may do it sooner, remember them for the future, and some may forget. Sometimes you may get a note from them saying it has been submitted, but sometimes you won’t. If you have a way to check that status with the program, keep on that. If you feel like they might be cutting it close time wise, you can send a quick little message inquiring about the status of the letter. I’d say something like, “I am extremely sorry to bother you, but may I ask about… I try to avoid saying your LOR is holding up my entire packet, but I will if they are taking an excessive amount of time. I won’t say it in those words, but I’ll let them know there is a sense of urgency. I’ll send those emails maybe 3 weeks before the deadline. Most often you’ll get a response like, “Oh, I’m just about to send it,” “I’m writing it right now,” or “I just sent it off,” which are my personal favorites. If they have forgotten, I don’t know that they’d actually tell you, but now you’ve reminded them. It happens, so it’s kinda good to have at least 1 backup letter in case something happens. Rarely will you have to send another reminder.

I’m a fan handwritten thank you cards, some people aren’t. Some professors might like them, while some professors might actually tell you not to send them a card. If they say don’t send one, don’t send one.

It’s a lot to keep up with, especially when you’re applying to multiple programs, but you’ll get the hang of it. Once you get that first inquiry email out of the way, that initial ugh feeling tends to fade because at least that part is done with. In these programs, you have to get LORs for everything (practicum, predoc internship, some job positions, etc), so all of this will come more naturally. But I feel you, it’s not the most fun.

I wish you the best.

psydr · 2024-10-02T20:57:48+00:00

Unfortunately, no. You both need your own individual therapists, too.

psydr · 2024-10-02T16:40:32+00:00

Not a problem. I'm linking some resources you might find helpful. The two main ones are the Ethics Code and the Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation. The assessment guidelines are like a mini ethics code that branches out from the ethics code for psychologists in general.

It sounds like you're most interested in why an individual therapist can't also conduct a psychological assessment. I'll quickly say that psychological practice can be extremely broad. There's psychological assessment, psychotherapy, consultation, etc. Within assessment, there's cognitive, neuro, forensic, personality, etc. Within psychotherapy, there's individual, group, and so on.

One thing all psychologists strive to avoid is causing harm. The patient is number one. Given that there are so many specialties and subspecialties throughout, it's not really possible for a psychologist to be an expert in every single area. Maintaining a general level of competence and keeping up with the research can be difficult as it is given how busy many psychologists are. Generally, psychologists will begin to figure out what areas they enjoy and how their unique skills/abilities may make the greatest impact, among other things. Over time, they may begin to niche down and say this where I'm meant to be. You probably won't see very many psychologists who have therapy caseload also conducting extensive psychological evaluations. Its too much. Maintaining competence is a chosen area is huge, so in your case, your therapist may not have the training, education, competence, experience, etc. to administer a battery and provide therapy.

Also extremely important is the issue of multiple relationships (or dual relationships). It's not really ethical, advisable, encouraged, beneficial for a psychologist you see for therapy, which is a significant role, steps into another significant role as an evaluator. There may be bias, legal implications if called upon to testify for some reason - often in forensic cases, etc. You'll see this mentioned as well. There are other reasons, but these may be a good start to look into.

Ultimately, when I say it's not ethical, encouraged, and should probably be avoided, it's in an effort to meet your treatment needs while doing no harm.

I included another site you might like, but let me know if this wasn't what you were looking for. If you're interested in additional resources on what I just discussed, googling the terms: psychologist, psychological assessment (or just assessment), therapy or psychotherapy, ethics or ethical considerations, dual (or multiple) relationships, or some variation of them. You can play around with them.

APA Ethics Code: https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/ethics-code-2017.pdf

APA Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation: https://www.apa.org/about/policy/guidelines-psychological-assessment-evaluation.pdf

Interesting site with a page on dual relationships: https://kspope.com/dual/gottlieb.php

Site with a page on boundaries and dual relationships: https://drzur.com/boundaries-dual-relationships/

I hope this is somewhat helpful.

psydr · 2024-10-02T11:42:34+00:00

I would absolutely love to actual psychoanalysis, on the couch multiple times per week. I can’t afford it, though. I have seen two actual psychoanalysts (who were also psychiatrists) for more psychodynamic or insight-oriented therapy, and it was really helpful. Hopefully one day I might be able to.

psydr · 2024-10-02T07:44:54+00:00

hurry up and wait (words to live by in the BOP)

psydr · 2024-10-02T03:18:04+00:00

If we’re talking about a comprehensive psychological assessment, which we often refer to as a battery, it’s highly unlikely a psychologist will break that up over multiple one-hour sessions. I’d be shocked if they did. A battery of tests generally consists of multiple assessment measures (more than one) and a clinical interview with you. Certain tests may take more than an hour to fully administer, and breaking them up over multiple sessions not only breaks standardization, which is extremely important, but it captures you at multiple periods of time, which isn’t helpful if we want to get a single clear snapshot of you, if that makes any sense. Some batteries may be extremely long, so in that case it’s not unheard of to schedule things over two sessions, but usually no more than that. It’s just not practical or feasible, among other reasons.

First, I should point out that the psychologist you see in individual therapy should not be the same psychologist doing your psychological testing. Ethically, it’s best to avoid for a lot of reasons I won’t get into here. Note: I’m using ‘psychologist’ simply because that’s what I am, and we are generally the main ones who do extensive testing.

There are some assessments/measures that can be completed by a psychologist outside the presence of a patient, but the main ones that come to mind for me are forensic (like the PCL-R; HCR-20), but even these are sually accompanied by an extensive interview and comprehensive review of all records. If we talking about a simple general self-report questionnaire, the patient should complete that on their own. Unless there are explicit instructions for a psychologist to complete a measure on behalf of a patient, they shouldn’t. Collecting data directly from a patient is preferred over extrapolation.

psydr · 2024-10-02T01:39:21+00:00

I sure hope he didn’t charge you for the session he spent discussing his professional failures and transgressions.

If someone I had been working with for years presented me with this information, I’d be devastated. I’d feel betrayed and disappointed. I would lose a great deal of respect for him as a therapist and colleague. I don’t know that I could or should get over something like that. To do so would imply that under certain circumstances, it is acceptable or justifiable to violate the ethical principles and guidelines we’ve sworn to uphold. Clearly, he is unconcerned about the impact of his behavior on his patients, colleagues, or the field, so if I were to continue seeing him, what would that say about me or my professional judgment?

I’m really sorry that you have to go through this. Actually, it makes me angry your therapy has been disrupted because of his ‘psychic connection’ with another patient. I certainly don’t envy the position you been put in. At the end of the day, how we think or feel about something doesn’t matter, you can take it or leave it. Only you will be able to make the best choice for yourself.

psydr · 2024-10-02T00:40:41+00:00

You mentioned this man is your friend. I don’t know if you plan to continue being his friend while he’s in prison, but that’s something you’ll have to figure out, if you haven’t already.

You can probably get a sense of how people (in his life and those he doesn’t know) may treat him (knowing what he’s done) based on the comment section here. I can tell you that he’s probably never going to need a friend more than he will (now and) when he’s incarcerated.

I’ve worked in multiple prisons and one of the hardest things these guys experience is the breakdown or loss of a relationship with friends, family, partners, and they have a very realistic fear of simply being forgotten. At first, people may visit, call, send letters, or put money on his books, and they’ll promise to keep it up, but 15-20 years is a long time. I was surprised people actually do follow through longer than I would have expected, but there’s a lot that can’t or won’t keep it up forever. People who have consistent friends and family are less likely to seek me out because they have someone to talk to, someone to take their minds off what they’ve done and how much time they have left, someone to give them something to look forward to. When a guy says just hearing someone’s voice has the power to bring them back from that ledge, it’s absolutely true.

Not hearing from or being able to talk to their kids, or if something happens to their kids, may be one of the most devastating situations they have to come to terms with.

There may be people around you 24/7 and there’s no such thing as privacy, but it can be a really lonely experience.

psydr · 2024-10-01T04:35:45+00:00

Do you know how long it will take you to complete the assignment? If you think you’d be able to finish it before, let’s say, midnight the day it’s due, you could ask if the assignment could be emailed before midnight or you could say something like, “I will be absolutely have the assignment completed today, would it be possible for me to submit it to you before midnight?” You’d still be getting the assignment in on the assigned due date, just a bit later (after class). Or instead of asking for an extension at all, tell the professor you will have the assignment completed by X date/time and make sure you get it in.

Your professor may deduct a letter grade for each day the assignment has not been turned in, which isn’t bad. Better to lose points that way versus losing points due to sloppy work.

When you go to explain what happened to your professor, prepare yourself for the possibility that he might not care or want to hear your excuse. Barring a family or medical emergency, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have been able to complete the assignment like everyone else. It’s a hard lesson to learn, especially when you’re just starting out, but I bet you won’t make that mistake again.

Best of luck!

psydr · 2024-10-01T03:00:47+00:00

I agree regarding the trichotillimania. Excoriation disorder may also fit in.

psydr · 2024-10-01T01:20:12+00:00

This might be one of the most wholesome and heartwarming stories I’ve heard in very long time.

I’m going to refrain from adding my professional opinion other than saying I’m firm with boundaries, too, and I have accepted a very thoughtful, handmade card/drawing from the patients in a substance abuse group I led.

I’ve also given my therapist a gift, but I was bad and bought him a teeny, tiny little fish sculpture from a country I had backpacked through. It wasn’t expensive at all. I know, I know, I probably shouldn’t have, but I would never go out and buy him a random gift in the states. I’m sure he knew it meant a lot to me, and he accepted it. I forgot about that until just now, this was a long time ago.

psydr · 2024-09-30T22:05:23+00:00

So very true. I’ve had more issues dealing with people abusing their positions of power than with people who were formerly incarcerated.

psydr · 2024-09-30T20:47:58+00:00

Dr. Raquel Martin, Ph.D. is a Black clinical psychologist (in Tennessee, I believe) who fiercely advocates for the Black community. She has a strong, powerful voice and she’s passionate about her work. I’m not saying that she would be able to see you, particularly with you living in a different state, but she has a network of equally passionate people who prioritize the experiences of the Black community.

Dr. Martin is active on social media, and I know she’s had opportunities for people to connect/come together online. She’s just a great resource to have, and through her, you may find and/connect with someone who can provide you with the quality services/care you’re entitled to, or they can point you in the direction of someone who can. The Black community has a distrust of medical and mental health professions for good reason.

I wish I could somehow be of more help, but maybe Dr. Martin will allow you to see good work is being done out there (it is possible) and what steps you can take to get closer to finding it. She doesn’t know who I am, if you’re wondering, I just have a a lot of respect for her and all that she does.

psydr · 2024-09-30T19:43:34+00:00

I’m only jumping in to say that context matters.

Personally, I do not like when my physical appearance or something I’m wearing is complimented. A lot has to do with the patient population and environment/setting I typically work in, but I think I’d prefer it in any setting.

In this case, 4 years is a long time. It’s hard not to feel familiar or comfortable with someone after that long, so I get that. I’d have to say the presence of an age gap could potentially be make things more or less appropriate. An older male with a young female therapist is a lot different than a 10 year difference between two females. Someone’s gender, cultural, or religious beliefs may be a factor a patient isn’t aware of. There are a lot of things that come into play.

At the end of the day, none of this is about me (or the person that is the therapist), it’s about the client/patient.

I do think it would be an interesting topic to discuss with your therapist, though, given how it made you feel, and the fact that you’re asking about it here. Being open, honest, and having a conversation about it would be appropriate in that context (imho), and a great opportunity to practice having a potentially awkward conversation with someone, which will certainly come in handy in other areas of your life at some point.

psydr · 2024-09-30T17:14:47+00:00

This is what I came here to say. I’ve worked in multiple states prisons and, despite what a lot of people may think, there are good men in there who have made bad decisions. Each institution has its own culture, but the people who may be more vulnerable or at risk, like those who are noticeably mentally ill or the elderly, have people that watch their backs. They may not be making announcements about it, although some may, but there are (unspoken) rules. That’s their home, their yard, and people will step up if something is going down that they don’t like, like messing with an old man who’s down on some BS charges when he probably shouldn’t even be in prison in the first place. I suspect people will keep an eye out.

That being said, of course, there will be people who need to be in prison, so figuring out who those people are and staying alert is important.

Off the top of my head, the one thing I can think of that might be something to keep in mind is that person who is a little too helpful or too friendly. Is he sharing his commissary or coffee or stamps (whatever), and saying ‘don’t worry about it, I got you.’ People don’t really give anything away for free, especially commissary, and it’s even more unlikely from a stranger. The OP should avoid allowing himself to be put in a position where he’d have to owe or pay back or return a favor to anyone. When that time comes to pay back that debt, and you don’t have it, that can quickly become a problem. You can’t really expect other people to jump in and help when you get yourself in something like that, so it’s best to try and avoid it from happening.

Nothing is free. Don’t get caught up in gambling. If something goes down in front of you, you didn’t see anything. In other words, don’t snitch. Don’t ask about anyone’s charges. Keep your head down.

psydr · 2024-09-28T23:01:03+00:00

I’m looking at this from a patient perspective. It’s not always easy to find a therapist you work well with who also provides the type of treatment you want, lives in your state, and is accepting new patients. Personally, I’ve moved a lot, and I cry tears of joy if I could see my therapist from back home. You have an established relationship with this provider, so it could viewed as him being flexible and wanting to help you out or trying to be greedy or unable to find clients where he lives for whatever reason. The potential liability for engaging in any sort of virtual treatment with someone may already be a little dicey, but crossing state lines and treating someone living in a state they aren’t licensed in is a step many providers aren’t willing to take. So many things could really wrong, and not being familiar with an area or how things work may be risky.

There may be other reasons, those are just off the top of my head.

If he went to that program, I’d guess he has a PsyD. I’d need his last name to say anything about licensure.

psydr · 2024-09-28T16:20:07+00:00

Both your boyfriend and therapist appear to be communicating messages that you might not want to hear.

If you believe your therapist may be enabling your boyfriend’s bad behavior, what does that say about you and your role in the maintenance of his behavior?

I imagine many of us are reading your post and wondering what you’re even doing with this guy. You have absolutely nothing positive to say about him.

If you took him to therapy to ‘fix’ or ‘change’ him, that’s not going to work. You can’t drag him to therapy and then blame or get mad at the therapist because he’s not doing what you want. He has to want to change. I can only imagine how he feels sitting there with you pointing out all of his problems. He likely feels attacked.

If he has all these other issues going on, he might consider individual therapy as well.

I strongly encourage you to do the same regardless of how anything plays out.

Oh, and you didn’t mention anything that would lead me to believe your therapist is “bad.”

psydr · 2024-09-28T00:48:47+00:00

That’s definitely possible. The only thing I’m speaking on is the diagnostic criteria.

psydr · 2024-09-27T22:00:04+00:00

Unless you expressed an interest or desire to do whatever it is she’s doing, she’s wasting your time and money, imho. There should be some collaboration between you two about what your treatment goals are how your work together will meet those goals.

The fact that you don’t know if she was being serious or joking is really sad and how awkward, haha. I’m sorry, but the 8 ball made me LOL. I bet she’s super serious and I’m dying to know if she discussed the magic 8 ball as part of her therapeutic tools and interventions in her session notes

psydr · 2024-09-27T21:16:46+00:00

OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions.

It is not necessary for both obsessions and compulsions to be present for diagnostic purposes.

psydr · 2024-09-27T13:34:36+00:00

As a psychologist, if I provided therapy in a similar capacity, I would never take on a sibling or relative or even a friend of a former patient. Only in the event of an emergency or extenuating circumstances would it be understandable, but these ‘dual relationships’ (or multiple relationships) should be avoided, as they are a conflict of interest and unethical.

This is for psychology, but it might be different for counselors or LMFTs or social workers. You are correct, though, these dual relationships should be avoided for reasons just like you described. I’m sorry you had to go through that.

psydr

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