Yes! All our staff have experience working with immigrants in a variety of settings and states. Our group practice is specialized on immigration evaluations, and therapists require extensive training and supervision before working with your client. We have worked with dozens of attorneys around the country and have completed over 400 evaluations.

Yes, our clinicians are trained to see clients of all ages. We are especially experienced in working with children whose parents are in the removal proceedings.

A well-written psychological evaluation can provide objective evidence of the psychological effects of trauma, abuse, or potential familial separation.

In cases where the client has experienced trauma, a clinician can help assess whether the findings of the evaluation corroborate the client’s story. In addition, a mental health clinician can provide their expert opinion on:

severity of harm

impact of harm

fear of returning to the home country (asylum)

hardship if returned to home country (VAWA & T visa)

need for ongoing care In asylum cases, a psychological evaluation can determine the consistency of psychological symptoms with the client’s history, and educate others about the effects of physical and psychological trauma and abuse, as well as explain behavior that makes the applicant appear not credible.

Yes! While research on this subject is relatively new, it has been shown that psychological evaluations can make a positive impact on the outcome of a case. In extreme hardship waiver cases, research has found that when an appeal included testimony from a mental health professional, applicants prevailed about half of the time; when such testimony was not included, applicants prevailed in only one out of three cases.

Testimony from a mental health professional was associated with favorable appeal outcomes, without regard to whether the professional had an ongoing relationship with the client.

Psychological evaluations can also significantly increase the likelihood that asylum will be granted. In 2015, a study of 540 asylum seekers found that 89% of those that received a psychological or medical evaluation were granted asylum in comparison with the national average of 48% for the same period.

Yes and no. The therapist who conducts the evaluation on your client cannot see the client for therapy, either before or after the evaluation. Although research has shown that having an ongoing therapeutic relationship with the client does not have an effect on the outcome of their case, it is considered unethical and can compromise a clinician’s objectivity. Completing an evaluation and being the client’s therapist constitutes a dual relationship, regardless of the order in which it is done (therapy first or evaluation first). The APA (American Psychological Association) has the best, most concise statement on the matter:

“Providing forensic and therapeutic psychological services to the same individual or closely related individuals involves multiple relationships that may impair objectivity and/or cause exploitation or other harm.” (American Psychological Association 2013. Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. American Psychologist, January 2013.)

However, the client can be seen by a different therapist at our practice. With the client’s consent, the evaluating therapist can communicate with the treatment therapist to ensure the proper continuum of care. As all our therapists are familiar with the immigration system, if treatment progress or any additional documents is requested in the future, we can ensure provision of what USCIS is looking for.

In addition, we can provide clients with a list of resources and therapists near them should they wish to receive ongoing therapy elsewhere.

Yes, we can send a copy of the evaluation for the attorney to review and provide feedback.

Typically clients can be scheduled within 1-2 weeks.

In the case where an evaluation is needed sooner, we can expedite the evaluation for an additional fee.

Typically, we schedule 2 interviews with the client, one week apart. In most cases, the report will be completed within 2 weeks after the final meeting with the client, provided all additional documentation (such as school or medical records) have been received.

The report will be completed after documentation and payment have been received. Therefore, the entire process, from initial appointment booking to receiving the finalized copy of evaluation, takes an average of one months if the report does not need to be expedited.

We charge a $1000 flat rate per report, which covers all the services needed for the report, including two video conference interviews, file reviews, correspondence with attorney, report writing, and editing. Expedited service is available for $1500.

Email lola@figtreechi.com and let us know what kind of case your client needs help with, and we can send you a sample report of a similar case. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the CEO of Families Together, Lola at lola@figtreechi.com