Immigration Psychological Evaluations in California
Your story is the evidence. We put it on the page in the terms a case is decided on.
Ala Therapy Collective provides immigration psychological evaluations for people filing with USCIS from anywhere in California, through secure telehealth. We work with self-petitioners and immigration attorneys, and we also serve clients in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
A strong evaluation does not lean on volume. It connects each finding to the record and leaves an adjudicator with fewer open questions than they started with.
Evaluations We Provide
We prepare psychological evaluations across the humanitarian and family immigration types: VAWA self-petitions, T and U visas for survivors of trafficking and serious crime, asylum claims, and extreme hardship cases tied to waivers and cancellation of removal.
The report is shaped to its filing. What an asylum claim needs and what a hardship waiver needs are not the same, and the evaluation answers the question actually in front of it.
What the Evaluation Documents
An evaluation reaches past the label to what a file leaves unexplained: why someone stayed, why the story arrives in fragments, why survival did not look like what people expect. We document trauma history and current symptoms, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation, alongside the harm specific to your case.
Who Conducts Your Evaluation
Shylah Ridgway, LCSW, LICSW conducts every immigration evaluation. She is licensed in California, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah, trained through Georgia King's immigration evaluation course, and holds a forensic social work certificate through the Forensic Social Work Alliance, formerly the National Organization of Forensic Social Work.
How It Works in California
Every evaluation is conducted by secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth, available to anyone physically in California, from the Bay Area and Los Angeles to the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and the far north. Weekend appointments are available, which often makes the difference for people balancing work, family, and a deadline.
Your evaluation is shared only with you and the attorney or parties you authorize. Interpretation services are available for an additional fee.
Turnaround Times
Standard: 15 business days from the completed interview 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. A thorough report takes time, and rushed work invites the scrutiny it is meant to prevent.
Common Questions
Do I need to be in California for the evaluation?
Yes. The evaluation is conducted by secure telehealth, and you need to be physically located in California during the session, from the Bay Area and Los Angeles to the Central Valley and the far north. Weekend appointments are available.
How long does the process take?
The clinical interview is usually one to two sessions. From the completed interview, the standard report is delivered in 15 business days, with expedited (10 business days) and urgent (5 business days) options available for an additional fee.
What immigration cases do you evaluate?
VAWA self-petitions, T and U visas for survivors of trafficking and serious crime, asylum claims, and extreme hardship cases tied to waivers and cancellation of removal.
What does the evaluation document?
It documents your trauma history and current mental health symptoms, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation, and connects those findings to the specific legal standard your case has to meet.
Do you work with my immigration attorney?
Yes. The practice works directly with immigration attorneys and offers engagement letters, fee schedules, and case-specific collaboration, shaping the assessment and report to fit your filing.
Who will see my evaluation, and do you offer interpretation?
Your evaluation is shared only with you and the attorney or parties you authorize. Interpretation services are available for an additional fee.
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.
Get StartedFor California Immigration Attorneys
We work directly with immigration attorneys across California and offer engagement letters, fee schedules, and case-specific collaboration. We can adjust assessment depth, report scope, and timing based on whether you are filing affirmatively or answering a request for evidence. Shylah is listed in the Immigration Evaluation Directory and Georgia King's evaluator directory.
Attorney referrals welcome. For attorney inquiries, email immigration@alatherapycollective.com.