Mental Health Settings

Title III of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to all private health care providers, regardless of the size of the office or the number of employees. It applies to providers of both physical and mental health care.

The mental healthcare field is broad and includes psychiatric assessment and treatment, group and individual psychotherapy, counseling, psychological testing, substance abuse treatment and more. Settings include inpatient and outpatient settings, peer-led settings (such as AA or “self-help groups”), outreach settings, day programs, private clinician’s offices, clinic settings, emergency rooms, forensic and court venues, and long-term residential care settings.

To perform effectively in these settings, interpreters require knowledge about the diversity of mental healthcare environments, including the goals and norms of specific settings and interventions. Interpreters need to be familiar with the types of mental health professionals who are present in various settings, their roles, their communication goals and their treatment methodologies. Working in the mental healthcare field also entails specific legal and regulatory obligations which apply to interpreters as well as clinicians.

In the field of interpreting, appropriate credentials are an important indicator of an interpreter’s qualifications and EIS requires that interpreters working in mental health settings hold current RID certification to assure the integrity of the process and compliance with the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. It is also recommended that before working in mental health settings, interpreters receive advance training in this area.