The Forensic Ideas Series #1

#1 A lesson from Forensic Science I am fascinated by the ways in which people can have an impact on others where it is not obvious how that is achieved; the art of persuasion, The Forer Effect, Cold Reading, some of the well-known illusions performed by Derren Brown, the use of ‘nudge’ to change behaviour, …

Coronavirus – coping with stress and mental health

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has had a significant impact on everyone’s day-to-day life. It’s hard to avoid the word unprecedented, given the shocking effects on the way we all live our lives. The stress of the situation will also have an impact on people’s mental well-being. Here at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, our …

Labelling and Forensic Psychology – A rose by any other name

Labelling is an important issue in forensic psychology. The passage from Romeo and Juliette:   “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title.”   is often used …

Valentine’s day and sexual assault- the Forensic Psychologist as an expert commentator

This post was authored by staff at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology, University of Nottingham. An experienced psychologist discusses his thoughts of being asked to provide an expert opinion on the relationship between Valentine’s day and sexual assault. Valentine’s day and sexual assault As your career develops as a Forensic Psychologist you may …

Participate In Our Research

You can participate in our research here! Both our staff and students conduct research into all aspects of forensic   psychology. Sometimes this includes using online surveys to gather anonymous data. This page hosts our current   online projects, if you are interested in participating click the links to go directly to the surveys. All projects have  …

Functional analysis: A simple worked example of a (fictional!) case

Functional analysis Functional analysis is a model of psychological formulation designed to understand the functions of human behaviour. It has its origins in behavioural psychology. At its core, functional analysis assumes that all behaviour is learned, and that all behaviours serve some purpose. This applies equally to challenging behaviours (such as violence or self-harm) as …

Careers in Forensic Psychology

Careers in forensic psychology in the UK are both challenging and rewarding. I became a forensic psychologist because I believe that sometimes the people in the most distress will come to the criminal justice system before any other service. I’ve put together this post to explain a bit about what we do, and some of …

Dr Vincent Egan discusses the International Congress on Applied Psychology conference

Dr Vincent Egan, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology (University of Nottingham), was invited to speak at the International Congress on Applied Psychology (ICAP) conference in a symposium on sadism. The ICAP conference The ICAP conference was held in Montreal over five very hot days in late June, 2018; one …

Psychometric tools – links to free online resources

Psychometric tests can be hard to find, we have collated some helpful links to free online resources that our staff and students have found helpful. Psychometric tools Psychometric tools include the questionnaires we use for psychological assessments. In both research and practice, psychometrics allow us to objectively measure things like personality traits, behaviours, emotional experiences …

Supervisor training with the Doctorate in Forensic Psychology – DForenPsy

Supervisor training I’m fairly certain that anyone who has worked in forensic services or in mental healthcare will testify that it can be a challenging and yet hugely rewarding field. Working as a junior (or even senior!) clinician in such an area can be a steep learning curve and can take its toll on even …