Use of Interpreters in Individual Psychotherapy

Baxter, Helen; Cheng, Louis Y.

doi:10.3109/00048679609076087

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Because the dominant language is considered to have a richer emotional structure (Pitta, Marcos, & Alpert, 1978), patients may use a second language as a form of resistance in psychotherapy, to avoid intense affect (Baxter & Cheng, 1996;Carlson, 1979;Oquendo, 1996a). A language that is not their own, in which patients have to make an effort to understand and to respond, can act as a stimulus that shakes them up and puts them in closer touch with reality (Del Castillo, 1970).…”

Section: Which Language Is Most Affected and Why?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism and neuropsychiatric disorders

Paradis

2008

Journal of Neurolinguistics

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Section: Which Language Is Most Affected and Why?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism and neuropsychiatric disorders

Paradis

2008

Journal of Neurolinguistics

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“…Role exchange may also be related to a previous ongoing relationship formed outside of the counseling sessions between the interpreter and the client, resulting in an intensified bond between the two parties. Potential for role confusion may be increased if the counselor and interpreter have failed to establish a relationship and define specific roles prior to working with the client (Baxter & Cheng, 1996).…”

Section: Role Exchangementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dialectical differences, whereby words in one culture have different meanings in another, can also prove challenging for interpreters. Finally, it is possible that an interpreter's culture and worldview may differ from those of the client, increasing differences in language use and resulting in inaccurate interpretation of a session's content (Baxter & Cheng, 1996).…”

Section: Linguistic Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Interpreters in Mental Health Counseling: A Literature Review and Recommendations

Paone

Malott

2008

J Multicult Couns & Deve

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Limited understanding of the challenges inherent in counselor‐interpreter collaboration may potentially result in inadequate or ineffective mental health services. To provide guidelines for effective mental health assistance of clients who are English language learners, the authors review the literature regarding the partnership between counselors and interpreters. Suggestions for collaborative practices, including pre‐ and postsession directives, are included. Una comprensión limitada de los desafíos inherentes a la colaboración entre consejero e intérprete podría dar como resultado un servicio de salud mental inadecuado o ineficaz. Con el propósito de ofrecer pautas para una asistencia eficaz a la salud mental de aquellos clientes que están aprendiendo inglés, los autores revisan la literatura sobre la asociación entre consejeros e intér‐pretes. Se incluyen sugerencias para prácticas de colaboración, incluyendo directivas para antes y después de las sesiones.

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“…The literature to date has commented on the potentially problematic nature of this endeavour (e.g., Baxter & Cheng, 1996;Bhui & Morgan, 2007;Miller et al, 2005;Tribe & Thompson, 2009). The current case study demonstrates the potential of psychodynamic psychotherapy within an interpreter-assisted context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The challenges are numerous. Baxter and Cheng (1996) question the patient's ability to "express transference through an interpreter" (p.154) and the clinician's ability to discern transference in translated material. The question of whether interpreter assisted psychotherapy can achieve the level of intimacy necessary for psychodynamic work is also problematic (Bhui & Morgan, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lost in translation, found in translation: A case study of working psychodynamically in an interpreter-assisted setting

Schweitzer

Rosbrook

Kaiplinger

2013

Psychodynamic Practice

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Effective use of psychotherapeutic treatment in interpreter-assisted settings is well established; however, there has been little discussion of the use of psychodynamicallyinformed treatments in such settings. The literature suggests that therapy facilitated by interpreters is not conducive to psychodynamic approaches due to the presence of a third person, the perceived lack of intimacy, and the difficulties of working with translated material. However, transference, countertransference and other unconscious communications and responses necessarily occur in every therapeutic setting, including triadic therapy using interpreters. This paper describes a short-term (12 session) psychodynamically-oriented intervention with a 52-year old Cantonese-speaking man suffering from depression. A female, Chinese-born interpreter assisted in every session. The integral role of supervision in supporting a containing relationship between the therapist and the patient and the difficult emotional responses experienced by the interpreter is highlighted. The paper attempts to trace some of the unconscious communications that occurred during the therapy and demonstrates the feasibility of working psychodynamically in an interpreter-assisted setting.Keywords: Psychodynamic, Interpreters, Cross-cultural, Transference, Countertransference, Chinese Working Psychodynamically in an Interpreter-Assisted SettingAustralian society has become increasingly multicultural which has necessitated the increasing use of interpreters in counselling and psychotherapy with clients from non English speaking backgrounds. Despite recognition of the potential for effective psychotherapy using interpreters, there is limited research on the topic. Difficulties associated with using interpreters in therapy are exacerbated in psychodynamic settings. Fundamental to interpreterassisted therapy are differences in language and culture of client and therapist. The idea that a clinician and patient, speaking different languages, can function as an exclusive dyad, assisted on a purely practical level by an interpreter who is like a "black box" in sessions has been called into question (Westermeyer, 1990;Miller et al., 2005). The addition of a third person (the interpreter) changes the therapeutic configuration from dyadic to triadic. From a dynamic perspective each of these relationships are coloured by each person's unconscious which they bring to the treatment setting.Transference and countertransference in interpreter-assisted therapy is highly complex (Westermeyer, 1990). The resulting dynamics of the therapeutic relationship are seen as

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Use of Interpreters in Individual Psychotherapy

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

Bilingualism and neuropsychiatric disorders

Bilingualism and neuropsychiatric disorders

Using Interpreters in Mental Health Counseling: A Literature Review and Recommendations

Lost in translation, found in translation: A case study of working psychodynamically in an interpreter-assisted setting

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