Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Beyond English Only: Addressing Language Interpretation In Professional Psychology Training, Timothy B. Smith, Clay A. Frandsen, Derek Griner, Domenech Rodriguez, Guillermo Bernal

Faculty Publications

Professional guidelines direct that psychologists working with clients with limited English proficiency should involve an interpreter if a mental health professional fluent in the client’s language is unavailable. However, complexities of interpreted therapy require training. We describe nine relevant areas of trainee skill acquisition and also surveyed 102 multicultural course instructors in APA-accredited psychology programs regarding current professional training. Only 55 (54%) instructors reported providing any training on working with language interpreters, with 16 (16%) providing more than 2 hours of training. Instructors ranked nine proposed skill areas and gave recommendations for over coming barriers and working with interpreters to …