There are people in your city right now who survived the unsurvivable — and made it here.
A 16-year-old fleeing violence, separated from his family. A woman whose family has declared an “honor killing.” Families fleeing political, racial, or religious violence. The survivors of human trafficking.
In most cases the authorities and native governments will not, or cannot, protect these individuals.
But you can. As a mental health clinician, you can be the difference between safety and being returned to a life-threatening situation.
And the threat doesn't end when they arrive. Some carry the daily fear of deportation; others, years in, still feel unwelcome. Those clients are already in your waiting room — and if you're like most therapists, no one ever trained you for them.
Here's what most clinicians don't realize: you already have many of the skills you need. You don't need to be a PhD, and it doesn't need to become your main area of practice. And contrary to what you might think, you can make good money doing this work.
What you'll walk away ready to do:
- Conduct the interview and write the report — with mock interview video, templates, and forms included
- Handle the most common cases you'll see: asylum, abuse survivors, trafficking survivors, and crime victims
- Testify with confidence — or take the many cases that don't require it
- Recognize layered trauma across language, culture, and silence
- Build trust with clients who don't feel safe anywhere
You already have the heart for this work. We'll give you the skills.
Reserve Your Spot - In-Person or Online
- ✓ Up to6.25 Credit Hours per day
- ✓ Monthly expert consultation calls - bring real cases, get unstuck
- ✓ 90-day replay access - rewatch on your schedule
- ✓ Private national clinician directory - searchable by state, specialty & pro bono
Two Days. Two Skill Sets. Everything You Need.
Accepted as an expert witness in immigration court dozens of times, trainer of hundreds of licensed clinicians, and the person who built the resource library most practitioners spend years trying to piece together on their own.
- 7 real, de-identified evaluation reports from clinicians across specialties
- Sample billing statements and fee structures
- Complete report templates and documentation forms
- Full hardship case PDF presentation with legal standard guidance
- Access to Marc's ongoing monthly Zoom consultation group
- Private national directory: clinicians searchable by state, specialty & pro bono
Nationally published researcher, trauma specialist, and immigrant herself. She understands what your clients carry because she's carried some of it too - and knows why standard protocols, applied without cultural adaptation, often fail the very people who need healing most.
- Culturally responsive screening and assessment tools
- Narrative therapy and TF-CBT frameworks adapted for immigrants
- Case study analyses across four distinct client types
- Holistic wellness planning tools with attention to systemic barriers
- Vicarious trauma recognition and prevention strategies
Why You Can't Miss This
Real Reports. Real Templates. Real Court Language.
7 de-identified evaluation reports, billing templates, sample fee statements, and a full hardship case presentation - all included.
Monthly Consultation Calls - Included
Bring real cases to Marc's ongoing Zoom group. Stay sharp long after the training ends.
A Private National Clinician Directory
Searchable by state, specialty, and pro bono. You're joining a community, not just taking a course.
Two Experts. One Room. Full Picture.
Evaluation skills and trauma treatment in a single training - covering both sides of this work.
Culturally Grounded - Not Just Competent
Shama Panjwani lived this. Her training goes deeper than any checkbox approach to cultural competence.
The Stakes Are Real
Your report or testimony can determine whether someone is deported or stays. That's why this training exists.
Day 1: Immigration Evaluations with Marc Sadoff
A 16-year-old fleeing violence and separated from his family. A woman whose family has declared an 'honor killing.' Families fleeing political, racial or religious violence and terrorism. The survivors of human trafficking.
In most cases the authorities and native governments will not, or cannot, protect these individuals.
But you can.
As a mental health clinician, you can be the difference between safety and being returned to life threatening situations.
- You already have many of the skills you need.
- You don't need to be a PhD.
- It doesn't need to become your main area of practice.
- And contrary to what you might think, you can actually make good money doing this important work.
I'm Marc Sadoff, LCSW. I've been doing psychological evaluations for clients in immigration court for decades. It's been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a therapist.
And in my comprehensive training I'll show you everything you need to start doing psychological assessments with immigrant teens and adults facing deportation. You'll end this program ready to handle many of the most common cases you'll see including asylum, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and T & U cases of trafficking.
We'll cover it all from how to conduct interviews, write the reports, and confidently testify in court.
And, if you're anxious about testifying, don't worry. There are many types of cases you can take that DO NOT REQUIRE you to testify!
I'll even show you how you can build relationships with attorneys in your area that make it simple to market your new services.
Other trainings on immigration evaluations are asking up to $1800…but you can join me, and start doing this work right away, for a fraction of the cost. And with videos that provide you a real sense of what to do in the interview room, a complete set of templates and forms, and access to ongoing consultation sessions, this program is every bit as comprehensive.
So don't wait. This is your chance to expand your expertise, clinical practice and revenue base…maybe even preserve a life.
Outline
Introduction to Immigration Evaluations
- How clinicians are used as experts in trauma to help immigrants facing deportation
- Understanding the needs of the client, the lawyer, and the judge
- Consulting with lawyers and increasing awareness of ethical considerations
- Relevant laws, regulations, and policies related to immigration evaluations
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Cultural Competence in Immigration Evaluations
- Understanding the impact of culture on the evaluation process
- Recognizing and addressing cultural biases and barriers in assessments
- Developing cultural sensitivity and competence in working with diverse immigrant populations
Preparing for and Conducting the Interview
- How to read the declaration for a more efficient interview
- Best practices for building rapport and conducting the interview session
- Techniques of eliciting evidence of trauma in the interviews
- Working with clients currently in detention
- The 2 most powerful questions to assure your evaluations are respected by attorneys
- Tips and common issues for using interpreters
- Analysis of one hour of mock interview video - sexual assault and "honor killing"
Report Writing and Documentation for Immigration Evaluations
- Legal issues that guide the interview and writing of the report
- Technical tips for assembling your transcribed notes into a report template
- Methods of detecting evidence of credibility and writing persuasively about malingering
- How the diagnostic requirements of PTSD are used in demonstrating credibility
Preparing for and Providing Expert Testimony in Immigration Court
- Understanding the role of the expert witness and courtroom procedures
- VAWA and most hardship and T & U visa cases - most do not require testimony
- Tips for having the best experience of going to court if asked to testify
- Being prepared for common situations of testifying and online testifying
- Guidelines for a professional presentation and response to questions in court
Self-Care and Vicarious Trauma for Evaluators
- Recognizing and managing the impact on the evaluator's well-being
- Strategies for identifying and preventing vicarious trauma
- Resources and support for evaluators
Learning Objectives
- Describe the fundamental concepts, protocols, and conventions of serving as an expert witness in immigration court.
- Differentiate between the roles of an evaluator and a clinical treatment provider.
- Assess for signs of secondary traumatization in clinicians exposed to trauma narratives.
- Assess client trauma for accurate documentation.
- Write psychological reports for use in the immigration process.
- Describe the impact of cultural differences on the diagnosis and assessment of trauma survivors from other countries.
Day 2: Immigration Trauma Treatment with Shama Panjwani
Separation from loved ones, leaving homes they love, enduring dangerous travel, and navigating systems that can feel cold or hostile.
And the trauma doesn't end when they arrive. Many immigrants, refugees, and displaced families still live in a world that feels unsafe - some carrying the constant fear of deportation …
… others feeling like even after years of living here they don't belong, are unwelcome, or are marginalized.
These clients need treatment that sees the hidden scars of immigration, validates their experiences, and knows how to reach and heal the root of their trauma.
But if you're like most therapists you probably never received any kind of training on working with this population.
That's why we created this comprehensive one-day training with Shama Panjwani.
A clinician and researcher specializing in working with marginalized communities, who herself immigrated to the US at the age of nine, Shama Panjwani will give you a complete roadmap to understand, assess, and treat these clients with skill and confidence.
You'll walk away ready to:
- Identify hidden, multi-layered trauma in culturally sensitive ways
- Build trust with clients who feel unsafe in the world around them
- Support individuals and families through grief, loss, and disrupted identity
- Apply evidence-based interventions that foster resilience, empowerment, and healing
- Apply case studies that help you apply the skills to real-life clinical scenarios
The need for therapists ready to work with this population has never been greater …
… and this training is your chance to be the clinician these clients desperately need.
Outline
The Immigration Journey: Acculturative Stress, Culture Shock, and Intergenerational Impacts
- Economic, political, environmental, and familial factors
- Stages of the immigration process
- Acculturative stress and culture shock
- Family separation and intergenerational impact
Immigration Trauma, Mind-Body Impacts, and Assessment
- Displacement, marginalization, and legal uncertainty
- Complex trauma and chronic stress responses
- Vicarious trauma in immigrant communities
- Neurobiological and somatic effects of chronic stress and trauma
- Symptoms of trauma in children, adolescents, and adults
- Impact on self-concept, belonging, and safety
- Culturally influenced expressions of trauma
- Screening and assessment tools
Narrative Therapy Tools for Identity Reconstruction
- Externalizing the problem and reframing the immigrant journey
- Life mapping and storytelling to reclaim identity
- Deconstructing oppressive narratives (e.g., "illegal", "other")
- Cultural humility in co-constructing client narratives
- Research, risks and limitations
Trauma-Focused CBT for Symptom Management
- Psychoeducation for immigrant families
- Building emotional regulation and cognitive restructuring skills
- Exposure and trauma memory processing adapted for immigrants
- Research, risks and limitations
Holistic Wellness Counseling for Resilience
- Incorporating mindfulness, movement, and expressive arts
- Cultural practices and spiritual strengths in wellness
- Wellness planning with attention to systemic barriers
- Integrative wellness assessments
- Research, risks and limitations
Cultural and Ethical Considerations
- Informed consent, confidentiality, and legal status concerns
- Power dynamics and therapist self-awareness
- Cultural humility vs. cultural competence
- Ethical use of interpreters and community liaisons
Case Studies
- Lucia - The Silent Adolescent
- Driss - The Disoriented Father
- Syesha - The Strong Daughter
- Samuel & Ana - The Mixed-Status Couple
Learning Objectives
- Identify common reasons for migration and the systemic, emotional, and psychological challenges immigrants face before, during, and after immigration.
- Examine how immigration trauma manifests somatically and neurologically, influencing behavior, relationships, and identity.
- Choose narrative therapy techniques to help immigrant clients reclaim their stories and foster empowerment.
- Use trauma-focused CBT to help clients build coping skills, manage triggers, and reduce trauma symptoms.
- Integrate mind-body-spirit interventions to support healing and resilience in immigrant populations.
- Develop culturally attuned strategies for working with immigrant trauma survivors.
Reserve Your Spot - In-Person or Online
- ✓ Up to6.25 Credit Hours per day
- ✓ Monthly expert consultation calls - bring real cases, get unstuck
- ✓ 90-day replay access - rewatch on your schedule
- ✓ Private national clinician directory - searchable by state, specialty & pro bono
Meet Your Faculty
Marc Sadoff is a therapist in the Los Angeles area who has trained hundreds of licensed clinicians to conduct psychological evaluations for immigration cases - including asylum, VAWA, U Visa, T Visa, and hardship. He previously worked with the Program for Torture Victims Los Angeles, providing psychological and medical evaluations to corroborate claims of torture for asylum seekers.
He is a contributor to A Health Professional's Guide to Medical and Psychological Evaluations of Torture and has presented at the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma International Conference. His empathetic, detail-oriented approach has earned him a stellar reputation in the immigration law community - where he has testified approximately 70 times as an expert witness.
Shama Panjwani is a certified and licensed professional counselor, expert in trauma-informed care, and founder of SoHolisticEnergy Counseling & Consultation, LLC. She specializes in attachment, immigration, cultural, and intergenerational traumas, and integrates holistic wellness with evidence-based practices to provide culturally responsive care.
A graduate of Mercer University with a PhD in counselor education, Shama Panjwani's research and publications explore mental health stigma, trauma, social justice, and multicultural counseling. Her own immigration story - moving from India to the US at age nine, navigating DACA status, and earning her green card while completing her PhD - deeply informs the authenticity and depth of her clinical teaching.
Join Us in Bloomington
Venue & Dates
4460 West 78th Street Circle
Bloomington, MN 55435
Frequently Asked Questions
- 8:00amProgram begins
- Morning15-minute break
- 11:50am – 1:00pmLunch
- Afternoon15-minute break
- 4:00pmProgram ends
All times Central.
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Questions about group registration? Call us at 1-800-844-8260