How can therapists help with immigration cases?

One of my goals when I was starting my private practice was to use my clinical assessment skills in the service of the immigrant and refugee community. The news of family separations and traumas has been so upsetting, that I feel a strong sense of moral obligation to do my part to help immigrant families and asylum seekers. A thorough, clear, and well-written psycho-social assessment can be very helpful in certain immigration proceedings, particularly for clients who are applying for a Hardship Waiver (when a U.S. Citizen is petitioning to have a non-U.S. Citizen family member be allowed to stay in the United States), and for asylum seekers, applying for U-Visas, T-Visas, and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). I draw on my years of assessing clients and patients in health care and community mental health settings, as well as my sensitivity to and knowledge about the ways trauma affects our bodies and minds, to create a safe space for clients and to conduct a full psycho-social assessment. Simply telling one’s story from beginning to end in a safe space can be therapeutic for clients, but I do not become the client’s ongoing therapist, to maintain my objectivity. When it’s appropriate, I formulate a psychiatric diagnosis and provide recommendations for mental health treatment. Then, I carefully write up a report that will be submitted as evidence to the judge, working in collaboration with the client’s attorney. These reports take several hours to complete, and include literature citations. The end result is powerful corroborating evidence for immigration proceedings. If you or your client would benefit from a psycho-social evaluation, please contact me at SaraKeraiLPC@gmail.com or through this website.