The Forensic Mental Health course is designed for students with a clinical or academic interest in the complex relationship between mental disorders and criminal behaviour. You will be taught by a multi-disciplinary team of clinical academics. The course constitutes an ideal first step towards clinical psychology training, a PhD or MD degree.

Key benefits

• Focus on the neuroscientific understanding of the development of prosocial and antisocial behaviours across the lifespan
• Critically examine forensic practice across the criminal justice system, including prisons, secure forensic hospital settings, and community services
• Develop the skills required to critically evaluate new research and to establish evidence-based clinical services
• Build an inter-disciplinary understanding of this complex field

Our course aims to equip you with the knowledge and advanced skills necessary for a career that will involve clinical and/or research work with mentally disordered offenders.

You will develop an understanding of key neuroscientific advances in the field, and engage in a critically informed review of forensic services and the criminal justice system. There is an emphasis throughout on the clinical relevance of research findings. You will also benefit from a non credit-bearing voluntary clinical observation period in a forensic setting.

We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.

You will be required to choose one of two pathways. This means that the combination of modules chosen will lead to a qualification which reflects your chosen focus of study. There are specific entry criteria for each pathway.

The two pathways are:

• Clinical Forensic Psychology (full-time only)
• Forensic Mental Health Research.

Students on the Clinical Forensic Psychology pathway will undertake a 60-day (minimum) clinical forensic placement working at the level of an assistant clinical psychologist and complete a module on Forensic Psychology Practice.

Students on the Forensic Mental Health Research pathway will complete additional research methods training and can also benefit from a 10-day voluntary clinical observation period in a forensic setting.