The mental health interpreter’s relational agency and therapeutic alliance

Abstract

ABSTRACT A few studies suggest that, in interpreter-mediated mental health settings, the interpreter participates in the therapeutic alliance (TA) via relational agency within the triad. We have explored this hypothesis through the thematic analysis of 19 semi-structured interviews and the discursive analysis of three excerpts from an authentic interpreter-mediated French-Russian psychotherapeutic consultation using the conceptual tools of Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory enriched by Kerbrat-Orecchioni (1992) and taking into consideration discourse markers. The results of this descriptive and exploratory study show that the interpreter actively co-creates a supportive relationship in each of the three dyads, in particular through mitigation of Face-Threatening Acts and Face-Flattering Acts. In doing so, it may be that the interpreter co-constructs the affective dimension of a triadic TA that promotes the patient’s self-expression and underpins therapeutic work. A better understanding of the mechanisms of establishing and maintaining TA in interpreted mental health settings is crucial since research in monolingual contexts shows that the quality of TA is predictive of successful care.