The United States permits foreign nationals to apply for asylum if they have experienced persecution or have a fear of future persecution. In order to meet the criteria for persecution, the harm inflicted upon the asylum seeker does not need to be or have been physical and can include psychological sequelae. In an effort to document persecution, lawyers seek the assistance of health professionals when preparing their clients’ asylum applications. Mental health professionals work to corroborate psychological evidence of the asylum seeker's report of ill treatment through evaluation and presentation of their findings in the form of legal affidavits. This study gathered the experiences of 15 mental health clinicians who conduct forensic psychological evaluations and document the impact of torture and other human rights violations on asylum seekers. We analyzed the resulting interview transcripts using a consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach. The results of the study highlight challenges associated with this work, suggest recommendations for training, and encourage advocacy endeavors by mental health professionals who provide these services. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

[No Keywords available]

education Physician's Role refugee Forensic Psychology mental health human psychologic assessment Refugees middle aged Aged Clinical Competence Physicians Patient Advocacy Cultural Competency cultural competence Human Rights Abuses qualitative research human rights abuse interview asylum seeker Humans psychology Interviews as Topic male female Article legislation and jurisprudence genetic transcription physician attitude adult human experiment migration physician Emigration and Immigration psychiatry Torture