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From Trauma to Functioning: How Asylum Evaluations are Changing
Asylum evaluations are changing, and many clinicians are being asked to assess functioning and vulnerability, not trauma. In this episode, Mariela breaks down a growing trend in asylum cases where individuals did not flee persecution or experience past trauma, but now face removal despite serious psychological, cognitive, or developmental vulnerabilities.
These cases require a different clinical lens, one focused on current functioning, safety, and capacity rather than fear of past harm.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How asylum evaluations are shifting from trauma-focused narratives to assessments of current functioning and vulnerability
- What attorneys are asking clinicians to evaluate in vulnerability-based asylum cases, including cognitive capacity, judgment, and ability to survive independently
- How to assess functional impairment and risk without drifting into legal conclusions or country conditions analysis
- Why these cases often overlap with competency to proceed concerns in immigration court
- How to stay grounded in your expert clinical role while supporting attorneys working to protect highly vulnerable individuals
If you are starting to receive referrals where trauma history is minimal but functioning and safety are not, this episode will help you understand what you are actually being asked to evaluate and how to do it ethically.
📘 Not Sure Where to Start as an Evaluator?
Download our Free Guide to learn the essentials and see if this work is the right fit for you.
👉 Get the free guide
If you are serious about doing immigration evaluations with care and precision, this work deserves more than guesswork. With the right training and guidance, you can write evaluations that honor trauma, stay within your expert role, and genuinely contribute to fair outcomes for families navigating the immigration system.
👉 Learn More Here
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By Mariela G. Shibley, Psy.D.Asylum evaluations are changing, and many clinicians are being asked to assess functioning and vulnerability, not trauma. In this episode, Mariela breaks down a growing trend in asylum cases where individuals did not flee persecution or experience past trauma, but now face removal despite serious psychological, cognitive, or developmental vulnerabilities.
These cases require a different clinical lens, one focused on current functioning, safety, and capacity rather than fear of past harm.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How asylum evaluations are shifting from trauma-focused narratives to assessments of current functioning and vulnerability
- What attorneys are asking clinicians to evaluate in vulnerability-based asylum cases, including cognitive capacity, judgment, and ability to survive independently
- How to assess functional impairment and risk without drifting into legal conclusions or country conditions analysis
- Why these cases often overlap with competency to proceed concerns in immigration court
- How to stay grounded in your expert clinical role while supporting attorneys working to protect highly vulnerable individuals
If you are starting to receive referrals where trauma history is minimal but functioning and safety are not, this episode will help you understand what you are actually being asked to evaluate and how to do it ethically.
📘 Not Sure Where to Start as an Evaluator?
Download our Free Guide to learn the essentials and see if this work is the right fit for you.
👉 Get the free guide
If you are serious about doing immigration evaluations with care and precision, this work deserves more than guesswork. With the right training and guidance, you can write evaluations that honor trauma, stay within your expert role, and genuinely contribute to fair outcomes for families navigating the immigration system.
👉 Learn More Here
📲 Follow Us to Grow Your Expertise
🔹 Instagram
🔹 Facebook
🔹 LinkedIn
🌟 Join our private Facebook community for deeper discussions, peer support, and access to valuable training opportunities.
👉 Click here to join the group