Mental Health in Immigration Court: Understanding the Legal Framework for Mental Health Evaluations in Immigration Hearings
Live Online Training
December 10, 2025 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST
This virtual, four-hour session provides an overview of the ways that a noncitizen’s mental health is at issue during an immigration proceeding in which they face the prospect of deportation from the United States. Presenters from the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights will discuss the concept of competency and procedural safeguards in the context of immigration proceedings, and will provide an overview of how mental health evaluations may be used to support a range of legal claims available to noncitizens, such as applications for asylum and other fear-based protection from removal. The training will also address practical concerns in conducting evaluations for individuals in detention facilities and working with language barriers. This session is well suited to mental health practitioners that want to learn more about immigration law and how they can use their expertise in in immigration cases.
Participants can earn up to 4 APA-approved CEUs. Here is a detailed agenda.
Learning Objectives
Gain and understanding of the concepts of competency and procedural safeguards in the context of an immigration removal proceeding.
Develop a working knowledge of the ways a mental health evaluation can be used in presenting claims for relief for noncitizens with mental illness in immigration proceedings.
Learn how to address practical concerns such as conducting evaluations for individuals in detention facilities and with language barriers.
Instructors
Rachel Bennet, JD, is a Senior Attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in the Detained Adults Program, where she represents detained noncitizens in removal proceedings and serves as a qualified representative for individuals who have been found incompetent. Prior to joining the Amica Center, Rachel served as an Assistant Public Defender with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender for eleven years. She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and is admitted to practice law in New York and Maryland.
Ellen Jameson, JD, is a Senior Attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, where she represents adults in detention in removal proceedings. She has represented individuals with a wide array of mental health conditions, including serving as appointed counsel for individuals designated incompetent to represent themselves by the Immigration Judge. Prior to her work at Amica Center, she worked in private practice at Jones Day, including with the firm's Border Project pro bono initiative, and clerked on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ellyn Jameson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she also earned a dual master's degree in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. Prior to law school, Ellyn lived in Peru, where she co-founded and ran an educational non-profit.
Gladys Perez, MBA is a Hotline & Program Associate at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights where she provides support services to the legal teams. She co-manages the Amica Center free Detention Hotline which receives over 10,000 calls annually from individuals looking for legal support and information. She also provides programmatic and operational support to the Detained Adult Program team including managing and coordinating mental health evaluations and providing administrative support on hiring and recruitment. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from NYU.
Neither the instructors nor the program planning committee (Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., Lucy Guarnera, Ph.D.) have any conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose.
Continuing Education
Participants are eligible for up to 4 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) approved by the American Psychological Association (APA). ILPPP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ILPPP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
You must join by 1:15 pm and stay for the duration of the presentation in order to receive the CE credits.
CE credits are applicable for licensed psychologists; other disciplines will need to check the relevant statutes and guidance regarding whether or not this can count towards any CE requirement.
Training Fees
FREE
Please note that the reduced rate is available only for DBHDS and CSB employees, rather than all state employees, because DBHDS partially sponsors this training program.
Occasionally large facilities or state agencies outside Virginia want to send a team of trainees, for whom we can arrange a discounted group rate. Please contact us to discuss such arrangements.
How to Register
Scroll to the top of the page to register via the Eventbrite checkout. You will receive the Zoom link closer to the date of training and detailed attendance instructions.