Welcome to my practice!

I’m Miranda Emanuel, a bilingual (Spanish and English) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Lic#115536) based in California. I bring a decade of experience in clinical psychotherapy and immigration psychological evaluations, with a specialization in trauma. I primarily work virtually.

Let’s connect!

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Meet Miranda

I have ten years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist and immigration psychological evaluator. My particular areas of passion and expertise are trauma therapy and conducting psychological evaluations for immigration legal cases. These include Cancellation of Removal, I-601/I-601A Extreme Hardship Waiver, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)/Spousal Abuse, Victims of Crime (U-Visa), Victims of Human Trafficking (T-Visa), and Asylum cases. As the daughter of an immigrant, I have a deep understanding of the challenges encountered during the immigration process. I am dedicated to supporting individuals and families on this often complex and challenging journey. Whether you are in need of my services for an immigration evaluation to strengthen your legal case, or if you are seeking therapy services, you have found the right professional to support you.

 

In-person and remote options

My office is conveniently located in Aptos, California, between Santa Cruz and Watsonville. However, I primarily work virtually, which allows me to extend my services to individuals residing anywhere within the state of California.

Services

  • Immigration Evaluations

    Psychological evaluations can serve as compelling evidence in immigration cases and can be the determining factor in the approval or denial of your petition. I am an expert in conducting immigration evaluations for various types of cases, including Cancellation of Removal, I-601/I-601A Extreme Hardship Waiver, VAWA, U-Visa, T-Visa, and Asylum.

  • Psychotherapy

    In individual psychotherapy, I can help you enhance your quality of life through a multifaceted and eclectic therapeutic approach. Together, we can address past trauma, reduce stress and depressive symptoms, foster inner tranquility, improve relationships, establish boundaries, and more.

  • Expert witness Testimony

    Expert Witness Testimony

    Mental health clinicians, with their extensive training in understanding the human mind and behavior, can provide valuable insights in legal cases. Occasionally I am available to testify on a client’s mental state or the psychological harm suffered by an immigration issue.

Testimonials

  • J.J. Hamlyn, Esq. Immigration Attorney

    I don’t believe I’ve EVER had a waiver application denied on a case in which Miranda provided me an evaluation.

  • Maura Petersen, Esq. Immigration Attorney

    Miranda Emanuel is an experienced, competent, and thoughtful mental health professional. She completed over 150 high quality psychological evaluations for my immigration practice prior to my retirement this year. She is adept at spotting and developing psychological hardship in her evaluations. These were undoubtedly a consideration in the consistent approvals of our I-601A and I-601 waivers. In a successful appeal of an unjustly denied I-601 waiver, the AAO mentioned Miranda Emanuel's psychological evaluation as a major consideration in the decision to remand the waiver to USCIS for reconsideration.

  • Ellen Garfield, MA, LMFT

    I have known Miranda in a professional capacity for the last decade, working at various agencies and organizations with her. Since I consult with Miranda, I am able to honestly say that I trust her clinical judgement and her dedication to her clients. Miranda deeply considers what approach might be most helpful for each of the folks she works with. She is fully bilingual, so she's able to treat folks from diverse populations, which I appreciate. I also admire Miranda's experience in conducting psychological evaluations, helping immigrants with their visa process, successfully, so that they can safely reside here–it's very rare for therapists in Santa Cruz to be trained to provide this service.

  • Monique Miller, MA, LMFT

    I had the honor of working with Miranda for several years. She has a rare combination of sharp intellect and powerful intuition guiding her therapy practice. She brings a warm, deeply engaged presence to her work. I highly recommend Miranda for those seeking healing and personal growth!

Get started with Miranda, today.