Sexual Orientation Asylum Evaluations as Evidence of Harm

Asylum applications based on sexual orientation have risen in the United States and Canada in past decades.  As a forensic expert, Mark Silver addresses the challenges of evaluating an asylum petition based on sexual orientation and offers his insight as a clinical expert who evaluates claims of persecution and harm. The program will focus on personal identity development, considerations for persons who experience sexual orientation persecution, categories of harm, mental health considerations, and the challenges of undertaking such psychosocial evaluations. By virtue of its sensitive nature, the sexual orientation asylum petition comes with challenges and obstacles that require particular attention by both the lawyer and clinician during the application process.