Immigration Evaluations: the Best-Kept Secret in Our Field

Did you know that immigration evaluations can make a life-changing impact, while also bringing fulfillment and sustainability to your practice? Did you know that you already have the skills to do this work?

When I talk about immigration evaluations, I’m always shocked by how few therapists know about this amazing work.

For myself, I fell into it completely by accident about 10 years ago. This work could have easily passed me by, and I’m so grateful it didn’t, because it’s the most meaningful, transformative work I’ve ever done. No question.

As part of my mission to spread the word, I’m excited to share the three most important and surprising aspects of this work, starting with:

#1: The Impact

It’s unbelievable to see the kind of difference this work can make in the lives of immigrants and their families. 

What I hear over and over from lawyers is that providing a mental health evaluation and documenting trauma and mood symptoms can provide powerful evidence for someone’s case. It can be the deciding factor in helping families stay together and protecting asylum seekers.

And especially right now, these evaluations are more important than ever. With many cases being harder to win, lawyers are often requesting evaluations to give clients a better shot at winning their cases.

There’s a case I’ll never forget with a young woman from the Middle East, who had fled political persecution. She was an incredibly resilient woman, who had recently finished grad school in the U.S. and was working as an accountant. She’d fled her home country after being wrongfully imprisoned, but even though she’d been through significant trauma, she didn’t have any visible scars to provide proof for her case. So, the assessment documented PTSD and other invisible signs of trauma. I’ll never forget her lawyer telling me later on that the evaluation was critical to winning her case because it was the only evidence she had. 

And by the way, finding out that a case you work on is successful is the most unbelievably exciting, humbling, and gratifying experience. Especially during these times, being able to make a difference in the world feels more meaningful and energizing than ever.

#2: With referral streams from lawyers, this work can transform your practice

When I first started doing this work, I was surprised not only by the impact, but also how the work was starting to affect my practice. Referral streams from lawyers brought meaning and sustainability in ways I’d never imagined. For the first time, I wasn’t worrying about where my next clients would come from, because lawyers were just sending them directly to me. And what I didn’t realize starting out is that people who need these evaluations come from all walks of life, all different economic and professional backgrounds. Therapists often charge between $1000 to $1500 to cover the time for the interviews and the write-up, and balancing pro bono and full-fee work can be an amazing way to create a sustainable practice, while providing access to clients in need.

And this leads me to the final aspect of this work that often surprises therapists.

#3: You already have the skill set.

This work is shockingly accessible, because you already know how to assess mental health symptoms. You’re doing it all the time. And the right training can help you easily adapt your skill set to this unique context. It can also offer proven marketing and networking strategies to help you develop referral streams and get started.

So if you’re looking for meaningful and sustainable work that you already have the skillset for, immigration evaluations can really transform your practice. It did this for me, and I see this over and over with therapists moving forward in this work.

If you’re curious to learn more, I’d love to connect with you in our free Facebook Group for therapists interested in immigration evaluations.

And I want you to know how deeply I appreciate this chance to share with you about this best-kept secret in our field. Every therapist deserves to know about these amazing opportunities.

I can’t wait to connect more with you soon!