VAWA Psychological Evaluations in Oklahoma

You can do this without their permission, without their signature, without them ever knowing.
We provide the evaluation that backs your word.

Ala Therapy Collective provides psychological evaluations for survivors of domestic abuse self-petitioning under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). 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 VAWA self-petition asks USCIS to recognize that you were abused by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member, and that you can move forward without that person's permission. A strong evaluation puts what happened to you, and what it did to you, into a clinical record an adjudicator can act on.

The hardest abuse to prove is the kind that left no mark. That is exactly what we know how to document.

Who VAWA Protects

VAWA lets certain abused family members of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident file for immigrant classification on their own, without the abuser's knowledge or consent. Despite the name, it protects people of every gender.

You may be able to self-petition if you are the abused spouse of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, the abused child of one, or the abused parent of a U.S. citizen son or daughter who is at least 21. To qualify, you generally need to show a qualifying relationship to the abuser, that you were subjected to battery or extreme cruelty, that you lived with the abuser at some point, and good moral character. Spouses also show the marriage was entered in good faith.

A VAWA self-petition is filed on Form I-360. An approved petition does not by itself grant citizenship or a green card. It establishes immigrant classification that can make you eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence.

What the Evaluation Documents

A VAWA evaluation goes beyond a diagnosis. USCIS defines abuse broadly, and that includes harm that leaves no physical mark: psychological, emotional, sexual, and financial control, threats, isolation, and coercion. We document the abuse you experienced and how it affected you.

The evaluation covers your relationship history, current mental health, and symptoms such as PTSD, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, and dissociation. It also speaks to the dynamics adjudicators may misread, including why you stayed, why you may have minimized the abuse, and the power and control that defined the relationship.

Who Conducts Your Evaluation

Shylah Ridgway, LCSW, LICSW is our primary immigration evaluator. 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

Abuse survivors often share a home, finances, or children with the person who hurt them. A VAWA self-petition is designed to be filed confidentially, and we protect that.

We do not contact your abuser, their family, or anyone connected to the abuse. Your evaluation is shared only with you, your attorney, and the authorities you authorize. All sessions are conducted through secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth.

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 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. VAWA 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 intake 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 interview, complete the evaluation, and deliver your report on the agreed timeline.

Get Started

For Immigration Attorneys

We work directly with immigration attorneys on VAWA self-petitions 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.