Exploring Forensic Psychology Master Degrees:
Family Forensic Psychology

Opportunities in Family Court for Forensic Psychology Master Degree Graduates

Although forensic psychology might bring to mind the criminal profilers and crime scene investigators you've seen on TV, graduates with a forensic psychology master degree have a wide range of other career options. One promising career for forensic psychology master degree graduates is family forensic psychology.

Family forensic psychology is a growing specialization for forensic psychology master degree students. Many states have courts that specialize in issues of family law. These family courts hear cases ranging from divorce and child custody to elder care and contested wills. Family forensic psychologists provide services such as evaluating family relationships, mediating custody or visitation agreements, and providing individual or family counseling.

Forensic Psychology Master Degree Students Discover a Dynamic Specialty

Forensic psychology master degree students interested in family forensic psychology will discover a dynamic and evolving field. As societal understanding of families and the family structures has changed over time, family law and the role of the family forensic psychologist have changed as well.

Nowhere are the emerging family law issues more apparent than in the area of child custody. At the turn of the 19th century, issues of child custody were usually determined by what was called the "tender years doctrine." By that standard, the courts assumed that a child fared best in the mother's care. It was a simple yet rigid standard that reflected the views of the time.

Now forensic psychology master degree students learn about emerging issues related to child custody in family court during their graduate studies. Although courts now generally determine custody issues by the more flexible "best interest of the child standard" ("BICS"), parental rights are not always well defined in law. Questions of parental rights have expanded to legal questions covering such diverse issues as custody when gay or lesbian parents divorce, the rights of surrogate or donor parents, and grandparents' rights. Recently, long-term military overseas deployments have introduced questions about custody and visitation rights when a parent is deployed overseas.

Family forensic psychologists play an important role in the court's legal determinations in the rapidly changing field of family law. Graduates of forensic psychology master degree programs are likely to find growing demand for their forensic psychology services in the family court setting.

If you are interested in this field, search our database of forensic psychology schools, and find the forensic psychology master degree program that's right for you. Also keep in mind that there are forensic psychology degrees online that help students fit education into their busy schedules.

Read More Criminal Justice and Paralegal Articles

Find a Criminal Justice Specialty Today – Your Paralegal or Criminal Justice Degree is One Step Away!

Sources: Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Research and Application by Curt R. Bartol and Anne M. Bartol, psychologyinfo.com