Full-Circle Healing: Supporting My Immigrant Community Through Immigration Evaluations
When I sit with an immigrant client for an evaluation, I am not just stepping into the role of a clinician. I am also stepping into a part of my own story.
I was once undocumented. I know what it feels like to live with the constant hum of fear in the background—the fear of separation, of uncertainty, of not knowing if tomorrow will mean safety or loss. That experience has shaped me, not just as a person, but as a therapist. It gives me a deep understanding of what so many of my clients carry into my office.
More Than Paperwork
Immigration evaluations may look like paperwork from the outside, but for me—and for the people I work with—they are a lifeline.
These evaluations allow me to document the very real human impact of immigration policies: the anxiety that keeps people awake at night, the depression that makes it hard to care for children, the trauma that resurfaces every time there’s a knock at the door. My role is to translate those invisible wounds into a language that attorneys, judges, and decision makers can understand.
Each evaluation is a story of survival. Each evaluation is also an act of resistance—because it insists that the pain, the resilience, and the humanity of immigrants cannot be ignored.
Carrying the Stories
When I sit with a client, I listen. I listen to the mother who fears being separated from her children. I listen to the father who worries about leaving behind his partner with health issues. I listen to survivors of violence who carry scars the world cannot see.
These are not easy stories to tell or to hear. Sometimes the weight of them feels heavy, even for me. But I carry them with honor, because I know what it means for my clients to be believed and to have their experiences validated.
The Best Feeling in the World
And then there are the moments when I hear back from my clients. The text, the email, the call that says: “We got approved.”
In those moments, I feel everything all at once. Relief. Gratitude. Joy so big that it makes me want to cry, cheer, and scream at the same time. Because I know what’s at stake. An approval isn’t just a stamp on a document—it’s a family staying together, a survivor finally able to heal in safety, a child growing up with both parents by their side.
It’s freedom. It’s stability. It’s hope becoming reality.
A Full-Circle Moment
For me, this work is not just professional—it’s deeply personal. To have once been in the shadows and now to be in a position where I can help others step into the light feels like a gift.
Every evaluation reminds me of the resilience of my community. Every success story reminds me why I do this work. And every client I meet is another chance to say: You are not alone. Your story matters. Your voice deserves to be heard.
This is my full-circle moment.