Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Lorena P. Frey
MS, LMFT
Lorena P. Frey, MS, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, international speaker, researcher, and founder of the Immigration Diagnostic Evaluations Academy (IDEA). Having authored more than 3,000 immigration diagnostic evaluations, her work has been relied upon in thousands of successful immigration cases throughout the United States. She is recognized nationally for training mental health professionals to conduct immigration evaluations for asylum, VAWA, U Visa, T Visa, and hardship waiver cases.
Mrs. Frey has extensive experience evaluating survivors of persecution, torture, domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, child abuse, and other forms of complex trauma. Her work integrates forensic interviewing methods, trauma-informed assessment practices, DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria, and immigration law considerations to help clinicians produce legally relevant and clinically sound evaluations.
Mrs. Frey earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University and is currently a doctoral candidate in General Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction at Grand Canyon University. Her doctoral research focuses on advancing the field of immigration mental health assessment.
A sought-after presenter, Mrs. Frey is an International TEDx Speaker, a national award-winning co-author, recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award, and was knighted as a Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem in recognition of her service and humanitarian contributions.
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Jason Frey
MS, AMFT
Jason Frey, MS, AMFT, is a forensic mental health evaluator, trainer, and co-founder of IDEA. He has conducted more than 400 immigration diagnostic evaluations for cases involving asylum, VAWA, U Visas, T Visas, and hardship waivers. His evaluations have been submitted to USCIS, immigration courts, and attorneys throughout the United States.
Prior to entering the mental health profession, Jason served more than twenty-two years with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, where he worked as a detective investigating crimes against children, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), domestic violence, and other serious offenses. He also served as a California P.O.S.T. instructor and testified extensively in court proceedings.
Jason earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University. He serves on the planning committee for the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) international summits and regularly presents on immigration trauma, forensic assessment, human trafficking, resilience, and trauma-informed care.
His unique combination of forensic investigation, courtroom experience, trauma assessment, and immigration evaluation expertise provides clinicians with practical, real-world training that bridges the gap between mental health practice and the legal system.
More Than a Training. A Professional Foundation.
IDEA is a California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) Continuing Education Provider Approved (CEPA) program. Our training is built on the belief that immigration evaluations require more than a report template — they require clinical skill, cultural humility, trauma-informed care, ethical boundaries, and a clear understanding of how a person's mental-health experiences may matter within an immigration case.
Our goal is to help clinicians build a strong foundation so they can approach this work with competence, confidence, and care.
Advancing the Work
Shared values. Meaningful impact. Stronger communities.
Committed to Accessible, Inclusive Training
IDEA is ASL-capable and committed to creating an inclusive learning environment for clinicians and professionals with diverse communication needs.
Accessibility matters. We believe high-quality professional development should be welcoming, respectful, and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.
Built for Clinicians Ready to Expand Their Impact
Who We Serve
IDEA is designed for licensed mental health professionals and organizations seeking to provide ethical, trauma-informed immigration evaluation services.
Expanding Clinical Impact
Explore opportunities to position your expertise in new professional settings while creating valuable connections across legal and community networks.
Building Capacity Across Clinical Teams
Strengthen your organization’s ability to provide informed, compassionate care for individuals and families navigating displacement, migration, exploitation, and complex resettlement experiences.
Practical Training for Complex, High-Stakes Evaluations
Become an Expert Clinical Evaluator of Immigration Diagnostic Evaluations
Our training will prepare you to become an expert clinical evaluator to write professional Immigration Evaluations
Immigration Agencies are ready to refer clients to our graduates!
Our training is thorough, and we connect our clinicians with agencies that are referral ready.
We Prepare you to be an Expert Witness for Immigration Federal Court
After our training you will be confident to appear as an expert witness if you are ever subpoenaed to immigration court.
Mentorship and Peer Support Teams Throughout your Evaluations
You will be part of our TEAM in monthly peer support ZOOM meetings to stay updated with USCIS and other immigration issues that come up. You will also have a mentor to guide you through your evaluations.
We're Here For You
Always Available to Help
Our training includes life-membership to our monthly mentor and support meetings, 24-hour turn-around consultation, and guidance through your first couple of evaluations. We have direct referrals from human rights organizations, immigration attorneys, and federal contacts in the U.S. and Mexico with immigration cases ready to be evaluated
Our training includes life-membership to our monthly mentor and support meetings, 24-hour turn-around consultation, and guidance through your first couple of evaluations. We have direct referrals from human rights organizations, immigration attorneys, and federal contacts in the U.S. and Mexico with immigration cases ready to be evaluated. We also teach you to network in your area by providing you with assistance to get you started.
Types of Evaluations
HARDSHIP EVALUATION:
A Hardship is an evaluation that you assess how the family will be psychologically affected if their loved one is deported.
ASYLUM EVALUATION:
You will evaluate a refugee client that is seeking asylum to the U.S. A refugee has survived torture, persecution, war.
VAWA: Violence Against Women or Transgender:
You evaluate an immigrant client that has survived domestic violence while married to a U.S. citizen.
T-VISA:
You evaluate the severity of trauma and ability to survive that an immigrant client of human trafficking has experienced.
U-VISA:
You evaluate the traumatic experience an immigrant client has survived that has been a victim of a crime here in the U.S.
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS:
You evaluate the traumatic experience of unaccompanied minors held in detention facilities and make a difference in their case.
What Makes us Different
Training That Does Not End When the Workshop Ends
Immigration evaluation work can feel intimidating when you are new. IDEA is designed to provide more than information. We offer practical guidance, mentorship, peer support, and professional community as clinicians begin applying what they have learned.
Our goal is to help you feel prepared to do the work well.
About Our Work
Work with Non-Profit Agencies across the U.S.
We have partnered with human rights agencies that know our clinician graduates' are trained to write thorough Diagnostic Evaluations for Immigration.
Make a Difference in the life of a Refugee or Immigrant client
Your evaluation will make a difference in immigration cases.
Work in the Comfort of Your Personal Office
You choose your cases which are mostly done through a HIPPA Compliant telehealth platform while others are done in detention facilities.