Asylum
Individuals seeking asylum have been exposed to extreme deprivation, severe abuse, and even torture in their home country. Frequently, the mistreatment is associated with a political, religious, and/or ethnic persecution. At some point, the individual flees his or her country to the United States and files a Political Asylum claim. The purpose of an immigration evaluation in asylum cases is to collect information about this mistreatment and to examine the psychological impact that these circumstances have had on the immigrant. It is most common that the individual has developed psychological problems because of the abuse, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), severe anxiety, and/or depression.
All psychological evaluations include an assessment of abuse and trauma, as these are risk factors for emotional hardship and it helps to establish the severity and longstanding nature of the mental health issues. A history of trauma and/or pre-existing mental health conditions helps document that the person has mental health vulnerabilities that are not related to the immigration problems. At Queens Psychotherapy LCSW P.C., we are guided by case-law and legal standards and work with our clients to identify hardships within numerous categories (i.e., finances, housing, medical needs, academic issues, suicide risk, country conditions, etc.). Then, we assess the impact that these hardships have on emotional and social adjustment. |