There are three important trends that are influencing the way we approach our lives and our work. We live in a-high-speed world. With the advent of the Internet and other technological advancements, we are used to everything being fast. We now order online, and items are shipped almost instantly, we need information, and we...
So first of all, what is malingering? Malingering is an act, not a psychological condition. It involves pretending to have a physical or psychological condition to gain a reward or avoid something. For example, exaggerating or making up symptoms to obtain special accommodations or to be exempt from a process (e.g., VAWA, jury duty, USA Citizenship Exam Exemption, etc.)....
Retirement is a reality that we will all face and if not properly managed can contribute to significant hardships. For example, the Journal of Population Ageing identified that those who retired were about twice as likely to have depression symptoms vs. those still working. The Centers for Disease Control report that suicide rates for...
Psychological evaluations can play a crucial role in some immigration processes that can help prevent the removal of a dear one (Hardship Waiver) or to protect someone who is currently being abused (under VAWA), or while seeking political asylum, or when seeking a waiver on the citizenship examination (N-648). Regardless of which of these...
Whenever we think of buying any goods or services, we ask not only about the product or service. But also, we ask: How much? What’s the price? It makes sense to do so. There are three types of purchases. One is when we simply need to buy it, when it is a necessity. For...
Immigrants have become a major part of our national landscape. About 40 million or 20% of people living in the USA are a first-or second-generation immigrant. The process of immigration can be very challenging for the immigrant and, at the same time, it is a complex issue. One of the big challenges that an...
Psychological Trauma is defined as a direct threat to one’s life, serious physical injury, sexual violence, and/or witnessing an unexpected death, immediate threat to life, or physical injury to another person. Psychological trauma is common, with estimates of up to 60-85% of people having experienced a trauma within their lifetime. Reactions to a trauma...
Living with an unresolved immigration status is a nightmare for the individual and for our Country. For the individual, this means living in the “shadows” of society, keeping a low profile, fearing being noticed or identified as an “illegal immigrant”. Even more, it’s the fear of losing the American Dream for them and for...
We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of the onset of the current COVID-19 nightmare. These have become long, painful months at many levels. The casualties of human lives, the health threats and issues, social isolation. The impact of the pandemic has been cumulative and it’s affecting most of us. The increase in anxiety and depression...
COVID-19 has added an additional layer of challenge on top of the on-going stressors we all face. Also, the coronavirus situation is having an extreme isolation effect together with the health and financial worries it brings. And, according to the experts, it’s going to take a while to control. Not easy! All these factors,...