CATIE Center

Mental Health Interpreting

Mental Health Toolbox Series
For interpreters currently working in, or interested in working in mental health settings. Students are welcome to register, and a special student rate is offered.

Each session will address distinct issues. Participants may attend one session or all three. For a detailed description of each session, read below.

The ultimate goal of this program is to build competencies for working with mental health practitioners, and to identify, aritculate and demonstrate culturally affirmative discourse in order to increase the skill sets of ASL interpreters working in mental health settings.

The presenters will incororate specific concepts and skills drawn from the NCIEC Mental Health Draft Domains and Competencies (2007) and the RID Interpreting in Mental Health Settings Standard Practice Paper (2007). The presenters will also reference RID's Code of Professional Conduct when it pertains to content or discussion.

Click here to download a printable flyer.
Click here to download the registration form.

February 11, 2009: Linguistic Considerations for Interpreters Working in Mental Health
The participants will discuss examples of three linguistic choices, such as metaphor, intentionally vague communication, mental health jargon, psychological and emotional nuance, and explore ways to sign the English message in the examples.
Participants will be introduced to Deaf cultural norms and interpreter practices that are commonly misunderstood by hearing clinicians.
Participants, through group discussion, will identify options that add cultural information.
Participants will also discuss common myths about interpreters.
Participants will discuss three vocabulary rich mental health concepts, and identify/practice three ways to sign each concept based on an ASL language continuum.

March 25, 2009: Therapeutic Dynamics
This session has three major objectives:
Discuss demeanor and rapport with Deaf patients
Discuss how to communicate with hearing mental health clinicians
Practice signing and voicing vocabulary or discourse styles found in mental health settings.

May 13, 2009: Interpreter Strategies
Participants will demonstrate an ability to recognize, monitor and manage their personal reactions to the content of the therapeutic session through:
Completing a confidential self-awareness tool to identify their personal sensitivities.
Establishing a formal structure through which to manage personal issues outside of the interpretation setting.
Discuss how to identify symptoms of vicarious trauma and other stress reactions, and develop a plan to prevent and manage such occurrences.
Discuss how boundary challenges in mental health interpreting can impact personal safety and mental well-being.
Practice effective ways to communicate professional boundaries with Deaf patients in mental health settings.

About the Presenters
Arlyn Anderson, CI/CT, CPCC received her ASL and interpreting education at Vista and Ohlone Colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area and her BA in Mental Health and Deaf Studies from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN. Arlyn is one of the authors of the RID Standard Practice Paper on Mental Health Interpreting (2007) and is the author of “Mental Health Interpreting,” a 16-week mentored curriculum for New Mexico Mentoring. In addition to owning and operating ID Matters, LLC, Arlyn currently maintains a thriving coaching practice specializing in working with interpreters to create thrilling and productive change in their lives.

Gail Nygren, RID–NADIV, graduated from the College of St. Catherine’s Health Care Interpreting Program in 1991. As a CODA, her passion for the deaf community drives her to develop and refine interpreting techniques that are culturally affirming. Since 2001, she has presented workshops on mental health interpreting, simultaneous and consecutive interpreting skills, and in 2008 created “Deaf Smart” a workshop that weaves deaf community perspectives into the fabric of interpreter skill sets. She is a freelance interpreter specializing in medical and mental health services.

Stephen Medlicott, CI/CT received his Bachelors Degree in Interpreting from the College of St. Catherine. Stephen also has an Associates Degree in Medical and Mental Health interpreting from the College of St. Catherine. He has been working in the Twin Cities specializing in medical and performing arts interpreting for 16 years. Stephen is currently working for the State of Minnesota in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division as the Mental Health Program Interpreter.

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