Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Interpreting Psychotherapy: Developing The Interpreter’S Uncommon Sense, Arlyn A. Anderson

Arlyn A. Anderson

This paper is a discussion of several under-recognized areas of unintentional influence of the sign language interpreter in mental health environments. Based on the author’s professional experience as an interpreter in private practice in the mental health field, and through her role as mentor, coach, and educator for mental health interpreters, she proposes that well-respected standard interpreting approaches may be inadequate when applied to the mental health environment. She recommends significant shifts in the practice of interpreting in mental health settings, such as increased recognition of the therapeutic alliance and the unique role the interpreter has in its development. She …