Forensic Psychology
In addition to the generic foundation requirements, the Forensic Psychology specialty requires completion of an organized doctoral education and training program in Professional Psychology, which includes an internship. The specialty also requires postdoctoral supervised practice and experience in the specialty.
The specialty’s specific program requirements are met if:
- The doctoral degree program was in Professional Psychology from a program accredited by the APA or CPA. OR
- The doctoral degree program qualifies as equivalent to an APA or CPA accredited program in professional psychology as determined by the ABPP. This option is particularly applicable to degrees awarded throughout the U.S. or Canada.
- At least 100 hours of qualifying specialized training in forensic psychology obtained after the completion of the doctoral degree. This may consist of APA-approved continuing education in forensic psychology, the accumulated hours of one-on-one supervision by a qualified forensic professional, and/or completing a formal didactic graduate-level course after the completion of the doctoral degree; AND
- Experience in forensic psychology after the completion of the doctoral degree obtained by either a) accumulating 1000 hours of direct experience in forensic psychology over a minimum of five years, or b) completing a full-time, at least 2000 hour, formal postdoctoral training program in forensic psychology that has been accepted as meeting ABFP’s training requirements. The current list of these programs may be found in the document “ABFP Experience Waiver & Postdoc Training Guidelines” in the Forensic Psychology document library on the ABPP website. An earned LL.B. or J.D. degree may be substituted for two of the five years of experience; however, the requirement of 1000 hours of experience must still be met. The minimum of five years of experience is waived for those who have already obtained ABPP certification in any specialty area.