Let's Talk Forensic Psychology
Apr 27, 2026 · 46 min · 16 segments
We were joined by Richard Barker, who works as a Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist within the NHS, a BPS National Assessor and Honorary Associate Clinical Professor at The University of…
Um, so we wonder if you could start by telling us how you got into forensic psychology.
[laughs] I think I- most people start with a sigh, don't they, when they ask- answer that question.
So I, uh, you know, I did, um, a psychology undergraduate degree, but in my second year, I went to the States on, um, exchange program.
Um, and one of the things that they offered there that they didn't offer at my university here was a module on criminology, so I did, I did that.
It wasn't something that I really thought about before, or even really n- n- knew about, I think.
I think lots of people on undergraduate psychology degrees don't become psychologists.
Um, and then after I graduated and I was looking for, you know, sort of assistant posts, I di- I'd, I'd spent a bit of time as a HCA working on some wards.
I got a bit of experience of, of mental health, and then I got, um, an assistant post working for a private practice that did a range of things.
And they're both clinical psychologists by background, but most of the work was actually forensic, so they were a lot of expert witness work.
So as an assistant, I ended up sort of being exposed to a l- a lot of the things that we think of as being sort of central tenets of what forensic psychologists do.
Um, and then they, they, um, very kindly agreed to pay for my master's degree, um, which I was very grateful for.
Um, and so I stayed with them for quite a while, um, and to the point where I needed, though, to spend a bit of time working...
This, so this is the old route into forensic psychology, so you still needed to spend some time working in different, um, placements in effect, um, in order to build up your portfolio.
And I went to work at Raeside, which is a medium secure unit in Birmingham back in 1999, which is an awfully long time ago it feels like.
Um, so we wonder if you could start by telling us how you got into forensic psychology.
[laughs] I think I- most people start with a sigh, don't they, when they ask- answer that question.
So I, uh, you know, I did, um, a psychology undergraduate degree, but in my second year, I went to the States on, um, exchange program.
Um, and one of the things that they offered there that they didn't offer at my university here was a module on criminology, so I did, I did that.
It wasn't something that I really thought about before, or even really n- n- knew about, I think.
I think lots of people on undergraduate psychology degrees don't become psychologists.
Um, and then after I graduated and I was looking for, you know, sort of assistant posts, I di- I'd, I'd spent a bit of time as a HCA working on some wards.
I got a bit of experience of, of mental health, and then I got, um, an assistant post working for a private practice that did a range of things.
And they're both clinical psychologists by background, but most of the work was actually forensic, so they were a lot of expert witness work.
So as an assistant, I ended up sort of being exposed to a l- a lot of the things that we think of as being sort of central tenets of what forensic psychologists do.
Um, and then they, they, um, very kindly agreed to pay for my master's degree, um, which I was very grateful for.
Um, and so I stayed with them for quite a while, um, and to the point where I needed, though, to spend a bit of time working...
This, so this is the old route into forensic psychology, so you still needed to spend some time working in different, um, placements in effect, um, in order to build up your portfolio.
And I went to work at Raeside, which is a medium secure unit in Birmingham back in 1999, which is an awfully long time ago it feels like.
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