Abstract
The therapeutic alliance greatly influences the quality of mental health care. This alliance and other aspects of treatment are significantly changed with the introduction of an interpreter into the therapeutic alliance. A literature review was conducted and written in Spanish between January 2020 and April 2020 to determine the effects of the use of interpreters in mental health care services and to make a summary of these findings available in Spanish. The 14 articles reviewed produced the themes of varying interpreter roles, the need for a working alliance between the mental health professional and interpreter, loss of various aspects of meaning, and the positive factors present when utilizing an interpreter in mental health care. It is recommended that future mental health treatment with interpreters involve training for interpreters and clinicians, a positive working alliance between interpreters and clinicians, and open, early communication within the therapeutic alliance.
The Effects of Interpreting in Mental Health Care
The therapeutic alliance greatly influences the quality of mental health care. This alliance and other aspects of treatment are significantly changed with the introduction of an interpreter into the therapeutic alliance. A literature review was conducted and written in Spanish between January 2020 and April 2020 to determine the effects of the use of interpreters in mental health care services and to make a summary of these findings available in Spanish. The 14 articles reviewed produced the themes of varying interpreter roles, the need for a working alliance between the mental health professional and interpreter, loss of various aspects of meaning, and the positive factors present when utilizing an interpreter in mental health care. It is recommended that future mental health treatment with interpreters involve training for interpreters and clinicians, a positive working alliance between interpreters and clinicians, and open, early communication within the therapeutic alliance.