Press Release: RID VIEWS
Mental Healthcare Interpreting Program in the Making

National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC)

Mental healthcare interpreting is among the highest areas of demand
for Deaf and hearing interpreters alike. As high-stake and highly
personal as mental healthcare is for consumers, mental healthcare
interpreting presents unique communicative and ethical challenges
for interpreters. Yet, few opportunities for specialty training have
been developed – until now: The National Consortium of Interpreter
Education Centers (NCIEC) is creating a graduate certificate program
in mental healthcare interpreting. This four-course program, the
first of its kind anywhere, will be designed for online delivery
through the Northeastern University School of Professional and
Continuing Studies beginning in the spring semester of 2008. One of
many ongoing projects of the NCIEC, the program is being developed
through a painstaking process of identifying effective practices in
collaboration with consumers, mental healthcare providers, and
interpreter/practitioners from spoken and sign language communities
from each region in the U.S. Members of RID who are expert in
mental healthcare interpreting are invited to take part a in review-
and-comment process through the NCIEC website.

The curriculum will be based on what experts and consumers agree are
the essential elements of effective practice in mental healthcare
interpreting. Domains and competencies were first drafted in
November 2006 by a working group of experts facilitated by Dr. Rico
Peterson and Cathy Cogen (Northeastern University Regional
Interpreter Education Center): Arlyn Anderson (CI & CT, ASL-English
interpreter), Zarita Araujo-Lane (LICSW and president of Cross
Cultural Communication Systems, Inc.), Dr. Steven Chough (Gallaudet
University adjunct professor and retired psychiatric social worker),
Charlene Crump (CI & CT, statewide Mental Health Interpreter
Coordinator for the Office of Deaf Services, Alabama State
Department of Mental Health), Dr. Neil S. Glickman (licensed
psychologist, co-founder, and clinical director of the Deaf
psychiatric in-patient unit at Westborough State Hospital), Dan
Langholtz (MSW/LICSW, University of California San Francisco Center
on Deafness, CDI & CLIP-R), Dr. Robert Q. Pollard (Associate
Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) at the University of Rochester
School of Medicine), and Sue Scott (CSC, CI, CT, NAD V, AL QMHI, ASL-
English interpreter, interpreter educator, and consultant to this
project). The draft document was then taken out to the NCIEC
regions to a series of expert focus group meetings and individual
interviews for further development. The synthesis of these diverse
perspectives on effective practices in mental healthcare
interpreting will be accessible for review and comment through the
NCIEC website from February 1 to February 28, 2007. Our goal is to
subject the domains and competencies to as wide and as critical a
review as possible before the curriculum development process begins
in earnest.


This has been submitted for publication in the January RID VIEWS.