The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds

I'm actually a Forensic Psychologist. My attitude towards the show Criminal Minds has been that the writers were often "unencumbered by facts" in writing each episode. I was shocked to discover that I could get Forensic Psychology continuing education credits for this book so I bought it (We have to get 20 hours of CE credits each year for licensure).The author does a masterful job of navigating a delicate line between respect and criticism. She notes that the show doesn't really show how real profilers work - not big team, no airplane, etc. but she doesn't otherwise provide strong criticism. She does provide concrete information about serial killers and the tracking thereof (hence the approval for CE credits). To my surprise, she notes that many (or maybe most) episodes are actually based on real crimes. Well, she says they get their inspiration from real crimes. She even lists which crimes correspond to which episodes.This was news to me - I thought they made the whole thing up, especially the "psychological reasoning" the team utilizes. OK, maybe they do, but they start with a real crime somewhere.Anyway, if you're a fan, this won't turn you off the show. If you're a skeptic, like me, this will make you appreciate the show more. Everybody wins!And I got Continuing Education credits.

Shame on me, but I had never heard of Dr. Ramsland prior to reading this book and am now a major fan. I definitely plan on reading more. I am a female and was the lead therapist for several years on an all male forensic unit so the topic really hits close to home for me. I think the way she writes is excellent, She has proven you don't have to use 30 letter words to make an impression and understand her intellect and knowledge on the topic. Using Criminal Minds and other similar television series only makes it that much more interesting. I truly enjoy watching and listening to her on Investigation Discovery. I highly recommend this book which has given me ideas for my own book, Thank you so much. Dr. Campbell

If you're interested in a real life criminal minds type of novel this is it! I love the show and needed some research material for a project I was doing on it. This book had a great amount of research and the author really knew was she was talking about. References the show so you can get a deeper understanding for specific​ topics, and overall it was a very interesting read.

I found this book very informative. The facts and the editing actually gel!She has worked in the field a long time and her knowledge and experience are quite valuable.

I purchased and read the book hoping to get an insight into the psychotic mind. I'm a new novelist and found the book to satisfy my needs. I have a psychological background and this filled in some unknowns in the criminal mind. Well written, entertaining, and as mentioned very informative to me a beginning author. I recommend another enjoyable read: Nightmares of Reality

Average written. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

since i'm a fan of 'Criminal Minds', i thought i would read this book just to see how it compares to the real thing. i wasn't disappointed at all. i couldn't stop once i started. it gives you some real insight on the real cases that inspired some of the episodes and so much more.

A very interesting book with a lot of information in it. I enjoyed reading it, but it's scary to know people like this exist in our society.