DID YOU KNOW....


There are a range of issues and challenges faced by interpreters and
therapists when working with deaf people. The following are
recommendations of communication and training for improved treatment.

1. Interpreters and therapists take the time to prepare for sessions,
and also take the opportunity to debrief after each session, to ensure
that: (i) therapeutic goals are clear; (ii) linguistic and cultural
issues can be discussed; and (iii) emotional and psychological reactions
can be shown and discussed.



2. The development of specific guidelines for the application of the
Code of Ethics to interpreting in mental health settings, to account for
the specific dynamics of interpreting in this context.



3. Specialist training for therapists, which includes knowledge about
the cognitive, social, emotional and psychological development of deaf
people.



4. Specialist training for interpreters, which includes counseling
theories and practices, with opportunities to practice interpreting in
therapeutic contexts.



5. Experienced therapists and interpreters work in collaboration with
Deaf community organizations to provide information/psychoeducation
workshops to members of the Deaf community, and to inform them of the
role of the therapist, the purpose of, and techniques used in, therapy,
and the role of interpreters and families in the therapeutic process.



6. Empirical research is undertaken, which analyses the impact of the
sign language interpreter's presence on the dynamics of therapeutic
interaction, and in particular on the therapeutic alliance. Research
should focus on communication and turntaking management, interpreter
interference and interpreting strategies.





Challenges of mental health interpreting when working with deaf patients

Andy Cornes and Jemina Napier

Australasian Psychiatry

Vol 13 No 4

December 2005















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]