DID YOU KNOW....





Lost in translation: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of
mental health professionals' experiences of empathy in clinical work
with an interpreter.



Objectives Although empathy is considered by many to be fundamental to
psychotherapeutic practice, little is known about how working with an
interpreter may affect empathy in clinical work.



Accordingly, the present study aims to provide an exploration of mental
health professionals' experiences of empathy in clinical work with an
interpreter.



Design A qualitative methodology was utilized in order to provide a rich
understanding of participants' shared experiences of empathy in work
with an interpreter.



Data were gathered using a semi-structured interviewing approach.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen as the method
of analysis as this would provide a highly descriptive and in-depth
account of participants' experiences. Method Interviews were conducted
with 10 mental health professionals regularly working with linguistic
interpreters. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using IPA.
Results



The analysis yielded four major themes which described the effects of
translation upon empathic dialogues with service-users; changes in the
quality of empathic communication with service-users; the effects of
cultural similarities and dissimilarities upon empathy within
client-interpreter and client-professional dyads; and opportunities for
the interpreter to enrich participants' understanding of service-users'
perspectives.



Conclusions The difficulties participants encountered in work with an
interpreter highlight a need for training in cross-language empathy for
interpreters and mental health professionals, and encourage the use of
transcultural models of psychotherapy in work with non-English speaking
service-users. Some of the difficulties associated with adopting
traditional humanistic models of empathy, which tend to centralize the
therapist within empathic processes, when working with interpreters are
also discussed.



Pugh MA, Vetere A.

Psychol Psychother.
<javascript:AL_get(this,%20'jour',%20'Psychol%20Psychother.');> 2009
Feb 9.



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