ABSTRACT
As defined in the 2011 edition of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists, the term “forensic psychology” refers to “professional practice by any psychologist working within any sub-discipline of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, social, cognitive) when applying the scientific, technical, or specialized knowledge of psychology to the law to assist in addressing legal, contractual, and administrative matters” (p. 1). 1 Additionally, the APA Council of Representatives notes that the application of the term and the specialty guidelines provided by APA do not rely on the individual’s typical area of practice, but instead rely on the services that the professional is providing. However, the APA also states that simply being involved in a court-related matter does not mean that one is practicing forensic psychology. For instance, when a psychologist testifies solely on the basis of the “provision of psychotherapy,” this is not considered forensic practice (p. 1). A psychologist, in terms of the APA’s definition, is engaging in the practice of forensic psychology when they are providing a psycholegal opinion in a court-related matter, regardless of whether their typical practice consists of forensic work.
