Professional background
Dr. Julia Mantonya is a California-licensed clinical psychologist (PSY28494) with over nine years of clinical experience in high-acuity settings, working with individuals experiencing severe trauma, psychiatric decompensation, and complex presentations of post-traumatic stress. That background informs the forensic immigration practice: our work centers on documenting psychological harm in a way that meets the evidentiary standards of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudicators and immigration judges, not the narrative standards of therapy notes.
Clinical experience: nine-plus years in high-security settings with serious-mental-illness populations. That experience shapes how evaluations are conducted — precise symptom documentation, validated testing, cultural sensitivity, trauma-informed interview pacing, and structured reports that survive cross-examination when it comes to that.
Areas of practice
Current focus is immigration psychological evaluations across the full range of humanitarian and defensive relief types:
- Asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture (CAT) — documentation of persecution-related trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and trauma-related memory fragmentation that supports credibility.
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions (Form I-360) — documentation of battery or extreme cruelty, including psychological abuse and coercive control.
- U-visa crime victim petitions — five-factor substantial abuse documentation under 8 C.F.R. 214.14(b)(1).
- T-visa trafficking evaluations — psychological coercion, traumatic bonding, and the DES-II dissociation scale for survivors of labor or sex trafficking.
- Extreme hardship waivers (I-601 and I-601A) — Cervantes-Gonzalez factor analysis for qualifying-relative psychological impact under the dual-scenario framework.
- Cancellation of removal (EOIR-42B) — exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR) qualifying relatives.
- N-648 disability waivers — medical certification for the naturalization English and civics exemption (only licensed medical doctors, doctors of osteopathic medicine, or licensed clinical psychologists can sign).
- Immigration competency evaluations — under the Matter of M-A-M- and Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder standards.
Evaluation methodology
Every evaluation uses a structured standardized battery: the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and additional instruments as indicated by the referral question (Dissociative Experiences Scale-II for trafficking cases, Montreal Cognitive Assessment for N-648, Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology for cases where malingering detection is at issue). Reports include DSM-5-TR diagnostic formulation, detailed mental status examination, trauma history timeline, and functional impairment analysis tied to the specific legal standard at issue.
Reports are delivered as flat-fee engagements with a 5 to 7 business-day turnaround for standard cases, 3-day priority rush (+50%), or 24-hour emergency rush (+100%). Spanish interpretation is included at no additional cost. Unlimited revisions are included in every engagement.
Credentials
| Credential | Detail |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Clinical Psychology |
| State license | California Board of Psychology, PSY28494 |
| NPI | 1821420217 (Psychologist, Clinical — taxonomy 103TC0700X) |
| Languages | English (primary) · Spanish (interpreter-assisted) |
| Service area | State of California (telehealth statewide) |
Independent verification
Every credential on this page is independently verifiable. Attorneys and referring clinicians are encouraged to verify before referral:
- California Department of Consumer Affairs license lookup — search PSY28494 for current status and any board actions.
- NPI registry — federal National Provider Identifier record.
What this practice does not do
For referral clarity, here is what is outside our scope:
- Expert witness testimony in court. Reports are written deliverables. When a case requires live testimony, we can refer to qualified colleagues who accept testimony work.
- Out-of-state clients. California is not a Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) state; licensure limits practice to California residents.
- Child custody or 730 evaluations — different specialty requiring family-court expertise and courtroom availability.
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) staff evaluations — separate-employment conflict of interest.
- Insurance-billed or Medicare/Medi-Cal evaluations. Forensic evaluations are private-pay industry-wide; this practice follows that standard.
Professional standards and compliance
This practice adheres to the American Psychological Association Ethics Code, the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, California Business and Professions Code for licensed psychologists, the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) where applicable. Communications and records are protected by the psychotherapist-patient privilege under Jaffee v. Redmond, 518 U.S. 1 (1996) and California Evidence Code section 1014. Records cannot be compelled by administrative subpoena; a judicial warrant is required.
How referrals work
Immigration attorneys and pro-se applicants can request an evaluation via the contact form or by emailing [email protected]. Initial consultation is complimentary to confirm case fit, identify the applicable legal standard, and set timeline. Full fee schedule and case-type specifics are on the services page. Related reading is organized in the resources hub.
Contact
Phone: (818) 351-3354 (iPlum Professional, HIPAA BAA in place; phone tree active for spam filtering)
Email: [email protected] (Google Workspace, BAA in place)
Location: Santa Clarita, California — telehealth statewide
Languages: English and Spanish