Immigration Evaluations
The Basics: Psychological Evaluations for Immigration Cases
If you are working your way through the immigration system — engaged in an Asylum, U-Visa, VAWA, or Hardship Waiver/Cancellation of Removal case — and seeking to more effectively tell your story, a psychological evaluation may help you build a stronger case.
Whitney provides comprehensive assessments and personalized evaluations leveraging her clinical expertise to communicate complex psychological information related to your story.
Whitney's Approach
Whitney has completed hundreds of mental health evaluations in a variety of contexts. Advanced training with The Immigration Evaluation Training Center has contributed to additional skills-specific development for navigating these layered cases. A social work background contributes to Whitney's person-centered, strengths-based lens and her thorough, systems-based, trauma-informed approach.
Clients can expect a collaboration in which Whitney works closely with both client and lawyer with warmth, compassion, and curiosity during this intensive process.
The process includes a brief initial consultation, two interview meetings with the client totaling about three hours, and a personalized, comprehensive written evaluation forwarded to both client and lawyer. Currently, Whitney provides services via a secure video conferencing platform and can work with interpreters. Expedited turnaround is available at this time.
Specialty Areas
Asylum Cases
Evaluations can help demonstrate reasons that a client has missed the one-year filing deadline and/or detail psychological symptoms associated with past persecution.
U-Visa Cases
Evaluations document the mental-health impact of the qualifying crime to support the application, helping demonstrate the substantial abuse suffered by crime victims who are cooperating with law enforcement.
Extreme Hardship Cases
Evaluations may help identify unique factors contributing to a client's psychological distress (illness; disability; professional/financial hardship; adverse home-country conditions).
VAWA Cases
Evaluations detail presenting symptoms common for victims of violence, assess client credibility, and demonstrate how abusers used a client's undocumented status to exert power and control.
Fees
$1,200 includes:
- Initial 20-minute consultation
- Two interview sessions totaling about three hours
- One personalized written evaluation (generally ranging from 10–20 pages)
- Sliding scale and payment plans may be available
- Credit and debit cards and cash accepted
Scheduling
Reach out by email, text, or phone with questions or to book an initial consultation!