Interpreting in Psychotherapy
An Introductory Course

Interpreting in Psychotherapy - An Introductory Course

Modules

Psychotherapy for Three
In the training module "Psychotherapy for Three", the trainers; Jana Bauer, psychotherapist, and Manal Grannas-Younesse, interpreter into Arabic, discussed the opportunities and challenges of psychotherapy with interpreters. Psychotherapy with interpreters entails some special features for all involved. The training prepares the translation students at Yarmouk University for this special setting, the aim is to become familiar with the conditions and rules of therapy where three people are involved, and to gain confidence in understanding their roles. Interactive exercises and activities, such as a therapy session role-play, was practiced, followed by a discussion and answering questions.                            

Selfcare and secondary trauma prevention: Understanding our inner diversity with the Internal Family Systems Model (IFS)
In this module, a series of two consecutive workshops taught participants about basic psychological needs, self-care, and the internal family system model IFS as well as how to prevent secondary trauma.
It explored what would happen if our basic psychological needs are not met, and what we can do to ensure that our needs are met in the occupational context. The sessions also discussed how we can stay healthy and care for ourselves while working.
These important aspects were addressed by interactive teaching, exercises, and insights into the IFS model. The IFS model is a scientifically recognized approach to understanding your own inner system in a better way, which leads to a better understanding of self and others. 		                           

Self-care: The Key to Resilience
Stress levels are enormous in the caring professions. The training teaches how stress affects mental and physical health and what is needed to strengthen resilience. Clients in therapy are supported by appropriate strategies, but what about us? This training teaches how important it is for an interpreter to establish more self-care in everyday life. Practical exercises were carried out for this purpose. Students learnt about how stress affects the body and psyche, the meaning of burnout. How to get in touch with themselves and their resources, and how to implement these strategies in their daily work. .                            

Translation and Interpreting in the Mental Health Context as a Form of Humanitarian Aid
SCommunication between the therapist and patient is the sine qua non for diagnosis and treatment. The presence of an interpreter brings additional opportunities and challenges to the therapeutic encounter, as it’s the interpreter’s duty to aid establishing this communication and accurately convey the information expressed in the process. Interpreting for refugees, whether in conflict zones or host communities, usually includes the interpretation of suffering, ineffable emotional hurdles or trauma. Expressing emotional distress can differ between languages and cultures, and it is the interpreter’s job to help bridge these barriers. Recent studies show that inadequate communication can lead to diagnostic and treatment errors, such as the diagnosis of a psychopathology that is not present, or the inaccurate identification of its type, even under-/ over- estimating its severity. Thus, interpreters require specialised training in linguistic and non-linguistic competencies, such as basic psychological knowledge, ethics, and self-care in order to maximise the benefits of the therapy and hopefully aid refugees in the process of adapting to their new living conditions. .