What is an asylum psychological evaluation?

An asylum psychological evaluation documents the emotional and psychological impact of persecution, trauma, threats, violence, or fear of return. The report can help explain symptoms, memory gaps, dissociation, guardedness, or emotional numbness in a clinical way that supports the asylum case.

Can an asylum evaluation be completed online?

Yes. Ala Therapy Collective provides asylum psychological evaluations through secure telehealth for clients in Oklahoma, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah.

What does the evaluator ask about?

We ask about what happened, what you fear could happen if you return, how the experience affected your mental health, and what symptoms you continue to experience. We move carefully and do not expect your story to come out perfectly or in exact order.

Do you work with immigration attorneys?

Yes. We regularly work with immigration attorneys and can send the completed report to you and your attorney. Attorney questions, edits, and case-specific needs can be discussed as part of the process.

How long does an asylum evaluation take?

Our standard report timeline is 15 business days after the evaluation sessions are complete. Expedited options may be available depending on the case timeline and current availability.

Asylum Psychological Evaluations in Oklahoma

Trauma does not always come out as a clear story.
We explain why, so the gaps are not mistaken for lies.

Ala Therapy Collective provides psychological evaluations for people seeking asylum in the United States. We work with asylum seekers and immigration attorneys across Oklahoma through secure telehealth, and we also serve clients in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah.

An asylum claim asks the United States to recognize that you were persecuted, or have a well-founded fear of persecution, and cannot safely return home. Much of that case rests on your own account. A psychological evaluation can corroborate that account and explain, in clinical terms, the trauma behind it.

A flat voice. A memory with holes. A story that shifts. None of that means you are lying, and we document why.

Form I-589

Who Asylum Protects

Asylum is for people who have suffered persecution, or have a well-founded fear of future persecution, on account of one of five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

You apply on Form I-589. There are two paths: an affirmative claim, filed with USCIS when you are not in removal proceedings, and a defensive claim, raised before an immigration judge when you are. In most cases you must file within one year of your last arrival in the United States, though there are exceptions for changed or extraordinary circumstances. Because that deadline and those exceptions are strict, asylum is a case where timing and legal guidance matter a great deal.

What the Evaluation Documents

An asylum evaluation does two things at once. It documents the psychological harm of what you survived, and it speaks to your credibility, which is often the center of an asylum case.

We assess and document trauma and its effects, including PTSD, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, and dissociation. We also explain the things decision-makers frequently misread: why a survivor's memory of persecution can have gaps, why some details come out late or out of order, and why a flat or guarded demeanor is consistent with trauma rather than evidence of a lie. Where it helps, we connect your psychological presentation to the persecution you have described.

Who Conducts Your Evaluation

Shylah Ridgway, LCSW, LICSW is our primary immigration evaluator, with forensic evaluation experience across six states. She is licensed in Oklahoma, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah, and produces evaluations built to meet what attorneys and adjudicators actually need.

Demetria Bonds, LMSW also conducts immigration evaluations under clinical supervision. She is licensed in Oklahoma and brings focused training in trauma-informed assessment.

Confidentiality and Safety

For an asylum seeker, the danger is usually in the country you left, and it can extend to family still there. We are careful with everything you tell us.

Your evaluation is prepared for your asylum case and goes to you and your attorney, and we do not share your account or your identity with anyone outside that without your direction. All appointments are conducted through secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth.

We can work with interpreters, and interpretation services are available for an additional fee.

Turnaround Times

Standard: 15 business days from the completed appointment to the delivered report.

Expedited: 10 business days for an additional fee.

Urgent: 5 business days for an additional fee, subject to availability.

We do not offer same-day or next-day evaluations. These reports require time to do well, and rushed work invites the exact scrutiny it is supposed to prevent.

How to Get Started

Reach out through our contact form or email immigration@alatherapycollective.com.

We typically respond within 48 hours, usually much faster, to talk through your case, your timeline, and what to expect.

Once we are engaged, we schedule your clinical appointment, complete the evaluation, and deliver your report on the agreed timeline.

Get Started

For Immigration Attorneys

We work directly with immigration attorneys on affirmative and defensive asylum claims and offer engagement letters, fee schedules, and case-specific collaboration. We can adjust the depth of the assessment, report scope, and timing to fit your filing or hearing date, and we can speak to trauma's effect on credibility and demeanor where that is at issue.

Attorney referrals welcome. For attorney inquiries, email immigration@alatherapycollective.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an attorney to get an asylum evaluation?

No. You can request an evaluation on your own. That said, asylum law is complex and the one-year filing deadline is strict, so most people are best served working with an immigration attorney. A psychological evaluation strengthens the human-impact and credibility portion of your case, but it is not legal advice, and we do not provide legal services.

I filed more than a year after I arrived. Can an evaluation still help?

Possibly. The one-year deadline has exceptions for changed or extraordinary circumstances, and psychological factors such as trauma, PTSD, or the effects of persecution can be relevant to why a filing was delayed. We can document those factors clinically. Whether they meet a legal exception is a question for your attorney, but the evaluation can provide the mental-health basis for the argument.

My memory of what happened has gaps, and my account has changed over time. Will that hurt my case?

Gaps, out-of-order details, and shifts in an account are common features of trauma, not proof of dishonesty. Adjudicators do not always read them that way, which is exactly why an evaluation matters. We explain, in clinical terms, how trauma affects memory, disclosure, and demeanor, so those features are understood rather than held against you.

What is the difference between an affirmative and a defensive asylum evaluation?

The clinical work is the same. The difference is procedural: an affirmative claim is filed with USCIS when you are not in removal proceedings, and a defensive claim is raised before an immigration judge when you are. We tailor the report's framing and timing to whichever path your case is on, working from your attorney's filing or hearing schedule.

Will my evaluation be kept confidential?

Yes. Your evaluation is prepared for your asylum case and released only to you and the people you authorize, typically your attorney and the filing authority. We do not share your account or your identity with anyone outside that without your direction. All appointments are conducted through secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth.