Forensic Counseling

Abstract

The application of values and philosophy of counseling to individuals involved in the legal process is termed as forensic counseling. After World War II, considerable growth happened in forensic counseling in the United States. During the past three decades, forensic counseling has continued to grow and evolve. This paper discusses the forensic counseling, historical overview of forensic counseling and its application in the legal system. The landmark cases in which forensic psychology plays an important role are also discussed in this paper.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Body: Discussion and Analysis5

Forensic Counseling in Action5

Historical Overview of Forensic Counseling7

Landmark Cases in the History of Forensic Counseling8

Applications of Forensic Counseling9

Custody Evaluations9

Counseling Victims9

Counseling Adolescents10

Conclusion11

References12

Forensic Counseling

Introduction

Forensic counseling implies mental health and substance abuse counseling within the legal and criminal justice systems. It may concern to probation, parole, and assistance of victim, law enforcement or expert assessment of circumstances, for instance family settings. Forensic Counseling is the implementation of psychological insights, theories and skills to the comprehension and functioning of the legal and criminal justice system. It encompasses the law and psychology, the police and policing psychology, identification of eyewitness, corrections, jury research, parole, probation, addiction, victim and family services. A full range of activities is embraced by forensic psychology from enforcement of law to the treatment of wrongdoers throughout the criminal justice system. (www.jjay.cuny.edu)

According to Smith & Hung (2008), the application of values and philosophy of counseling to individuals engaged in the legal process can be termed as forensic counseling. One of four processes must happen sequentially for this to take place. The earliest is related with the intellectual grasp of counselor regarding criminal behavior, as well as sexual offenses, spousal abuse, behavioral problems demonstrating an unsociable stance, and incessant criminal crimes. Secondarily, counselors should be responsive to avoidance issues and possess the capability to identify several disorders; furthermore, the counselor should be very conversant with the aspects that are expected to impulse behavior against the law. Thirdly, with assessment instruments employed in diagnosis, a counselor should be familiar and should be capable of setting up a tailored treatment plan for the criminal. Lastly, it should be known by the counselor how to set off a counseling intervention that has a key objective of rooting out the problematic behavior of client. A range of issues and controversies are explored by the field of forensic psychology affecting court, police, and correctional practice, derived from the values and insights of psychology. This paper is aimed at every tidbit of forensic counseling, when it dates back and how is it applied.

Body: Discussion and Analysis

Forensic counseling or psychology, as an interdisciplinary field, depends upon the social sciences' contributions (for instance, public policy, criminology, and organizational studies) to deal with juvenile, adult, family, and civil concerns. A range of pertinent, imperative, and significant topics are examined by forensic counseling at the law and psychology's crossways - criminal justice and mental health. Among those are the topics that affect groups, society, organizations and individuals, including, police stress, child abuse, definitions of dangerousness, sex offenders ...