Psychological Evaluations for Individuals Seeking Asylum in the United States: Rewards, Challenges, and Impact of the Assessment Process

New York State Association of Neuropsychology (NYSAN) presents a live webinar with:

Abhishek Jaywant, Ph.D.

Psychological Evaluations for Individuals Seeking Asylum in the United States: Rewards, Challenges, and Impact of the Assessment Process

Abstract:

Individuals seeking asylum in the United States face significant trauma and stressors in their home country, during the immigration journey, and on arrival to the U.S. Psychologists play an important role in documenting the psychological sequelae of these traumatic experiences. In this talk, I will review the most prevalent psychiatric conditions in asylum seekers and discuss risk and perpetuating factors. I will explain the role and impact of forensic psychological evaluations in the asylum process. I will discuss the process of conducting psychological evaluations within the context of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights, the first medical-student run asylum clinic of its kind in the country. Existing empirical evidence and gaps in the research literature will be highlighted. Case examples will be used to illustrate the experience of asylum seekers and the experience of conducting psychological evaluations for asylum seekers.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.       List at least three psychiatric disorders that are prevalent in asylum seekers.
• 2.       Explain the role and impact of forensic psychological evaluations in the asylum process.
• 3.       Describe the purpose and structure of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights as a model for student-run asylum clinics.
• 4.       Describe the process of conducting a psychological evaluation and translating evaluation findings into an affidavit.

Speaker Bio:

• Dr. Abhishek Jaywant is a clinical neuropsychologist, assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, and assistant attending psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He received his B.S. in Psychology from McGill University. He completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Boston University and his predoctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at Brown University. He went on to complete his postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Jaywant has an NIH-funded research program focused on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying executive dysfunction and depression in acquired brain injuries, and in developing scalable, personalized, and neuroscience-based treatments for executive dysfunction and depression. He is the recipient of the 2021 Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science and the 2022 Neuropsychopharmacology Editors’ Award for a Transformative Original Report for his work in identifying the neurocognitive correlates of Covid-19. Dr. Jaywant conducts pro bono psychological evaluations for individuals seeking asylum in the United States through the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights (WCCHR). As part of his efforts at WCCHR, he trains medical students and mental health professionals in conducting forensic psychological evaluations for asylum seekers. He has lectured on topics related to asylum mental health at Brooklyn Law School, Cornell University Law School, the Cornell University Translator-Interpreter Program, and a Cornell University undergraduate global health course.
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•                                             1.0   CE credit (APA/NYSED) available

This course is offered for 1.0 CE credits (1 hour) for APA or NYSED

$10 for NYSAN members

$30 for non-members

*New York State Association of Neuropsychology is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0052.*

*NYSAN is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NYSAN maintains responsibility for this program and its content.* 

• Financial Disclosures: None/ Nonfinancial Disclosures: None