Language Brokering and Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

I am pleased to introduce this special issue of the Journal of Mental Health Counseling dedicated to language brokering and mental health. The United States Census Bureau reported that in 2012, 85% of foreign-born individuals reported speaking exclusively a language other than English at home, and only 35% reported speaking English “very well” (Gambino, Acosta, & Grieco, 2014). With immigration rates continuing to rise in the United States and in other countries, a special issue focused on language brokering is timely. Although there is a body of literature linking language brokering and educational outcomes, there is an urgent need to advance an understanding of the extent to which language brokering is related to mental health outcomes, culturally tailored clinical practices that may be used with individuals who serve as language brokers, and the ever-increasing need for human helpers to serve as language brokers. This special issue was composed to address these important research and practice topics.