(857) 496-5667
Keeping families strong, together.
Specializing in immigration evaluations, trauma assessment, and psychotherapy.
Meet Dr. Shannon Abraham-Cook
Dr. Abraham-Cook is a fully licensed psychologist who is committed to helping individuals and families who are involved in the immigration process. Dr. Abraham-Cook's speciality areas include psychological assessment for the purposes of immigration, psychotherapy, and the evaluation and treatment of psychological trauma. Dr. Abraham-Cook has worked with individuals from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and strives to provide compassionate and individualized services to all clients.
Services
Arbor Psychological Associates offers a range of services for immigration- and trauma-related matters, including:
Extreme Hardship and Cancelation of Removal Evaluations
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Evaluations
In cases of extreme and exceptional hardship, psychological evaluations examine the emotional, mental, and physical impact on the family member (i.e., a spouse, parent, or child) of an individual who may be deported or barred from re-entry to the United States. In these cases, the family member must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (LPR) of the United States.
The U Visa provides temporary legal status to victims of certain crimes (and their qualifying family members) who have experienced mental or physical abuse, and who are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity. In these cases, psychological evaluations are used to assess the consequences of the mental and physical abuse on the victim.
The VAWA provides protections to immigrant victims of domestic violence, battery, or extreme cruelty. Specifically, this act allows immigrants to "self-petition" for legal status without relying on an abusive U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, parent, or child. In VAWA cases, psychological evaluations assess the nature of the abuse that was experienced, as well as the physical, mental, and emotional impact of the abuse on the survivor.
Asylum Evaluations
Asylum is a form of legal protection offered to individuals who have suffered from persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Psychological evaluations conducted for asylum cases seek to collect information about the persecution that was experienced, and to determine the psychological ramifications of persecution on the asylum-seeker.
N-648 Waivers
N-648 waivers, also called Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, exempt applicants for U.S. citizenship from demonstrating that they can read, write, speak English and/or pass a test of U.S. civics. N-648 forms must be completed by a licensed psychologist or medical doctor.
Psychotherapy
The immigration process can be extraordinarily stressful, and may be accompanied by anxiety, changes in mood, and related difficulties. Likewise, traumatic events may lead to mental and emotional challenges that can be difficult to overcome without professional assistance. Counseling can help individuals to process and heal from their experiences, and move towards personal growth and recovery.