How to hire a forensic psychologist

How to hire a forensic psychologist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step forensic psychologist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a forensic psychologist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new forensic psychologist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a forensic psychologist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your forensic psychologist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a forensic psychologist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A forensic psychologist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, forensic psychologists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents forensic psychologist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Forensic Psychologist	Description	Hourly rate
   Forensic Psychologist	Psychologists study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and their environments.	$26-58
   Psychotherapist	A Psychotherapist's responsibility is to help clients who suffer from symptoms like depression, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. They work with individuals, couples, and families.	$20-53
   Health Psychologist	A health psychologist deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of health and illness. They lend support to those who are chronically ill... Show more	$26-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Psychological Evaluations
   • Mental Illness
   • Risk Assessments
   • Forensic Evaluations
   • Mental Health
   • Psychological Tests
   • Substance Abuse
   • Stand Trial
   • Psychological Services
   • Consultation Services
   • Clinical Services
   • Diagnostic Assessments
   • Diagnostic Evaluations
   • Clinical Interviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
   • Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.

   More forensic psychologist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the forensic psychologist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A forensic psychologist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a forensic psychologist in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level forensic psychologist. Additionally, a forensic psychologist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average forensic psychologist salary

   $83,065yearly

   $39.94 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level forensic psychologist salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average forensic psychologist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,409	$61
   2	Washington	$112,258	$54
   3	Massachusetts	$98,144	$47
   4	Colorado	$90,380	$43
   5	Ohio	$89,287	$43
   6	Minnesota	$89,093	$43
   7	New Hampshire	$86,465	$42
   8	Texas	$77,739	$37
   9	Georgia	$75,368	$36
   10	Florida	$62,584	$30

   Average forensic psychologist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Wellpath	$94,539	$45.45	15
   2	The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD	$93,769	$45.08
   3	UT Health East Texas	$90,478	$43.50
   4	Colorado State Express	$87,287	$41.96
   5	Minnesota Judicial Branch	$86,802	$41.73
   6	Wexford Health Sources	$79,610	$38.27	2
   7	Central Transport	$77,837	$37.42	18
   8	Fort Bend County	$75,675	$36.38
   9	GPAC	$73,420	$35.30
   10	Washington State University	$70,958	$34.11	1
   11	State Bar of Michigan	$60,085	$28.89	9
   12	Liberty Healthcare	$57,685	$27.73	37
   13	State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia	$49,371	$23.74	13
   14	Colorado Department of Transportation	$45,428	$21.84
   15	Wyoming	$43,896	$21.10	1
   16	Georgia Department of Education	$35,156	$16.90
   17	State of Ohio	$34,469	$16.57	29

4. Writing a forensic psychologist job description

   A forensic psychologist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a forensic psychologist job description:

   Forensic psychologist job description example

   **Sign-on Bonus Offered**
   
   Come join a friendly and inclusive team that provides quality care! Community Healthlink (CHL) recognizes the power of a diverse community and seeks applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Community Healthlink (CHL) is looking for a full-time (37.5 hours per week) Forensic Psychologist for our Worcester County program.
   
   The Juvenile Court Clinic located in Worcester, provides evaluations of court-involved youth who are referred by juvenile court judges. Throughout five court sessions in Worcester County, judges have used our services for evaluations pursuant to Child Requiring Assistance (formerly CHINs), delinquency cases and same-day crisis evaluations to assess acute risk for self or others. The Juvenile Court Clinic also conducts evaluations for civil mental health, and forensic and substance use commitment cases. Juvenile Court Clinic services include written clinical and forensic evaluation reports, case consultation, crisis intervention, referral for further services, and testimony as needed.
   
   This position offers an opportunity to join a team that's passionate and dedicated to providing quality evaluations to court-involved youth and their families, as well as exposure to state agencies and immersion within the juvenile justice system. CHL provides a supportive and energetic work environment. This is a salaried position with generous benefits.
   
   + Demonstrated skill in conducting culturally competent written forensic, mental health, and substance use evaluations for children, adolescents, and families.
   
   + Forensic evaluations may include competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, competence to proceed, and evaluations pursuant to involuntary mental health and substance use civil commitments.
   
   + Other evaluations may include mental health crisis assessments, psychosocial, substance use, violence risk, parenting, fire-setting, and sexual behavior risk-needs.
   
   + Provide testimony, formal and informal.
   
   + Grade 9B: Must be a licensed Psychologist in Massachusetts.
   
   + Must have a Doctorate in Psychology or Counseling Psychology.
   
   + Must pursue and obtain Certified Juvenile Court Clinician I&II (training provided).
   
   + All candidates will be subject to a CORI review as outlined in the regulations set by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. For more information, click here.
   
   Community Healthlink is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual preference, political affiliation or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above listed items.
   
   If applicable, Community Healthlink shall also abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified protected veterans and qualified individuals on the basis of disability. These regulations require affirmative action by Community Healthlink to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
   
   PCN#: 1092
   
   Street: 225 Main St

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right forensic psychologist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your forensic psychologist job on Zippia to find and recruit forensic psychologist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with forensic psychologist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new forensic psychologist

   Once you've decided on a perfect forensic psychologist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new forensic psychologist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a forensic psychologist?