What is a T-Visa psychological evaluation?

A T-Visa psychological evaluation documents the emotional and psychological impact of human trafficking. The report can help explain how trafficking, coercion, threats, trauma, fear, or exploitation affected you and why those experiences matter in your immigration case.

Can a T-Visa evaluation be completed online?

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

What does the evaluator ask about?

We ask about your history, what happened, how it affected your safety and mental health, and what symptoms or barriers you are still experiencing. We move carefully and do not expect you to tell everything perfectly or all at once.

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 a T-Visa 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.

T-Visa Psychological Evaluations in Oklahoma

You did what you had to do to survive.
We document what survival cost you, in the language USCIS needs to see.

Ala Therapy Collective provides psychological evaluations for survivors of human trafficking applying for a T-Visa (T nonimmigrant status). We work with self-petitioners and immigration attorneys across Oklahoma through secure telehealth, and we also serve clients in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah.

A T-Visa petition asks USCIS to recognize that you survived a severe form of trafficking and that the harm did not end when the trafficking did. A strong evaluation translates your experience into clinical findings that meet the standard adjudicators are looking for.

Surviving was the hard part. Proving it should not be on you alone.

Form I-914 · Supplement B

Who T-Visa Protects

The T-Visa is available to people who survived a severe form of trafficking, whether sex trafficking or labor trafficking accomplished through force, fraud, or coercion. The petition is filed on Form I-914, and law-enforcement cooperation is documented through the Form I-914 Supplement B declaration.

To qualify, you generally need to show that you were a victim of a severe form of trafficking, that you are physically present in the United States because of that trafficking, that you have complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement (unless you were under 18 or are unable to cooperate due to trauma), and that you would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm if you were removed.

The T-Visa is available regardless of gender, country of origin, or how you entered the country. Survivors of both labor and sex trafficking qualify.

What the Evaluation Documents

A T-Visa evaluation goes beyond a diagnosis. We document the psychological reality that adjudicators and law enforcement often misread, including why a survivor did not escape sooner, why they may have appeared to cooperate with a trafficker, and why they sometimes denied being a victim at all.

The evaluation covers your trafficking history, current mental health, and symptoms such as PTSD, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, and dissociation. It also addresses the factors USCIS weighs in T-Visa cases: retrafficking risk, fear of retaliation, the loss of trafficking-specific treatment if removed, and the cultural shame that can follow survivors home.

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

Trafficking survivors often face ongoing risk from traffickers and the networks around them. We treat your information with the highest level of care.

All appointments are conducted through secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth. We do not contact traffickers, employers, family members, or anyone connected to your trafficking experience. Your evaluation is shared only with you, your attorney, and the authorities you authorize.

We can accommodate flexible scheduling for clients with safety concerns or limited access to private space. 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. T-Visa 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 the 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 T-Visa petitions, including I-914 filings and the I-914 Supplement B law-enforcement declaration, and offer engagement letters, fee schedules, and case-specific collaboration. We can adjust the depth of psychological testing, report scope, and timing based on whether you are filing affirmatively or responding to a request for evidence.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to have gone to the police to qualify for a T-Visa?

The law asks that you comply with reasonable requests from law enforcement, but there are important exceptions: survivors under 18, and survivors who are unable to cooperate because of the trauma they experienced, may still qualify. A psychological evaluation can document exactly why cooperation was not possible, which is often a central piece of these cases.

I did not try to escape, and at times I went along with my trafficker. Does that disqualify me?

No. Not escaping, appearing to cooperate, or even denying you were a victim are common, well-documented trauma responses, not signs that trafficking did not happen. Explaining these responses in clinical terms is one of the most important things a T-Visa evaluation does, so adjudicators understand them rather than hold them against you.

Does the T-Visa cover labor trafficking, or only sex trafficking?

Both. A severe form of trafficking includes sex trafficking and labor trafficking accomplished through force, fraud, or coercion. The T-Visa is available regardless of gender, country of origin, or how you entered the United States.

Will you contact my trafficker or anyone involved?

No. We do not contact traffickers, employers, family members, or anyone connected to your trafficking experience. Your evaluation is shared only with you, your attorney, and the authorities you authorize, and all appointments are conducted through secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth.

What does the evaluation need to show for a T-Visa?

Beyond documenting your mental health and the trauma you carry, the evaluation speaks to the factors USCIS weighs, including the psychological harm of the trafficking, retrafficking risk, fear of retaliation, and the extreme hardship you would face if removed. We tie those findings to your specific history rather than offering a generic report.