Devin M. Hanson is a staff psychologist at a medical center- a clinical psychologist who works in the psychology operant and does psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorders by psychological rather than medical means. On September 20th, 2019 he agreed to let me interview him over the phone. I was interested in his work experience since he has worked in a forensic psychology setting which is where I ultimately want to end up. We were able to speak for approximately 45 minutes. He was able to not only answer my questions but also provide me with the information I didn't even think to ask about or had any idea about.
Hanson decided he was interested in psychology young, and in college became interested in clinical psychology. He trained in a forensic psychology setting and found it interesting. Taking practicums, and internships a few days a week, while doing classes, research, and teaching for 15 months at the forensic center, which he loved doing. At the end of the 5-year period, if everything is good, a student in this field will do a predoctoral internship which Hanson did. He then applied to a lot of forensic fields but it’s a competitive environment and he didn't match, but matched at a VA hospital, for two years, and ended up getting a job at a medical center. When I asked what the downsides of forensic psychology are, Hanson responded that “it's not a focus on treating someone to help them, the clinical aim is to help, in forensics, the goal is not to help the person in front of you but solve a crime, your evaluation could end up leading them to prison, a different frame and reference of psychology”. Where he is now, he is fully committed to helping another person without reservation, which is why he switched from being a forensic psychologist to a clinical psychologist.
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He worked at the center for forensic psychology, the state forensic psychiatric hospital near Ann arbor. The Center for Forensic Psychiatry is an inpatient psychiatric hospital that provides diagnostic services to the criminal justice system and psychiatric treatment for criminal defendants incompetent to stand trial or acquitted by not guilty by reason of insanity. A judge or jury decides who qualifies to be acquitted, and who can be admitted to the facility. This Facility covers all counties in the state of Michigan.
Everyone here at the center for forensic phycology that has a Ph.D. has the credentials to become a forensic examiner. This requires meeting with patients, interviewing them, and writing up a long report, some testify and provide info to the courts, state level wants to know that you’re an expert. Others have masters who let them work as psychometrics and do psychological testing.
Hanson said he did not fully appreciate how long grad school would take and all the hoops it would take to get there as it's a lot longer than expected. With grad school, he says it's ideal to have a pretty clear sense of direction, what you want to focus on, and specialize in a more clear-cut path from the beginning. Recognize that things happen and it's ok, you may change your path, but as long as you have a plan for the long run, even if that plan changes, then it's all going to work out. While attending school, Devin Hanson had to take a wide range of classes,
Psychology classes, social psychology, development, and stats. After school to actually work in the field, Hanson had to go through progressing levels of training. one of the interns, one of the fellowships, as you work up, their more independence and more responsibility you get.
When asked what kind of advice he would have for someone going into this line of work, Hanson suggested looking into the different roles in forensic psychology. The psychologist there has a Ph.D. in psych, is a clinical psychologist, and has had some postgraduate training in forensics. Really dive into the different levels of education and training because it’s possible to do without a Ph.D. to save time and money. Try as early as possible to get exposure to that type of work and settings of forensic psych works to make sure it's a good fit. Consult with others who are currently practicing. Some advice Hanson repeated throughout this interview is that for grad school, GPA is important. Facility advisors may say don’t take harder classes if it'll negatively affect your GPA. Involvement in research, especially for Ph.D. programs. Any and all research involvement, volunteering, get as much experience and get your name out there.
In the future, Hanson sees plenty of changes coming, right now there is a large focus on therapy, and he sees a lot more therapy happening over video. Hanson worked at veterans’ affairs and while there, they did a lot of teleconferences. A lot more video therapy is happening, and he sees it becoming a bigger and more normalized thing.
This interview was very enjoyable and I'm glad I was able to make a connection in the field I'm interested in, and talk to someone who actually worked in that field. I appreciate Devin Hanson for taking time out of his day and educating me on the field.
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