Culturally-Responsive Clinical Tools

Cultural and linguistic interpretation is essential to equitable, trauma-responsive care in our CYF system. Many of the children and youth we serve have caregivers who are monolingual in a non-English language, and some youth, especially recent immigrants and refugees, are also more comfortable or only fluent in a non-English language. When we use trained interpreters well, we protect families’ rights, reduce misdiagnosis, support trust and engagement, and make it possible for parents and youth to participate fully in treatment and decision-making.

Over the past two decades, professional organizations and specialty centers (e.g., APA, NCTSN, and others) have developed guidelines for interpreter-mediated mental health care, with growing attention to children, adolescents, and families impacted by trauma and migration. Child- and youth-specific interpretation resources are still emerging, but recent work emphasizes developmentally attuned, trauma-informed, and socio-culturally responsive partnerships between clinicians and interpreters in child and family services.

Brief practice guidelines for interpreted behavioral health visits (children, youth, and families)

• Always use trained professional interpreters whenever possible. Do not rely on children, other family members, or untrained staff; explain that interpreter services are free, confidential, and part of high-quality care.

• Clarify language, roles, and goals up front. Ask each youth and caregiver about preferred language and dialect; hold a brief pre-session with the interpreter (even by phone) to review goals, key terms, and any sensitive or trauma-related content.

• Keep the triad transparent and client-centered. Speak directly to the child, youth, or caregiver in the first person, use short segments, pause regularly for interpretation, avoid side conversations, and invite the family to tell you if something does not make sense.

• Be socio-culturally and developmentally responsive. Recognize that language, immigration history, family roles, and cultural beliefs shape how distress is expressed; check for potential tensions (e.g., interpreter and family from different sub-groups), and tailor explanations and questions to the child’s age, developmental level, and caregiver role.

• Support interpreter well-being and partnership. Whenever possible, use the same interpreter across sessions, debrief briefly after difficult encounters, and attend to secondary traumatic stress and boundary issues so that both clinician and interpreter can sustain safe, ethical, trauma-informed care for the family.

This section of the website includes toolkits, articles, manuals, and multimedia resources (including trauma-informed, child- and family-focused materials) that offer a deeper dive into culturally and linguistically responsive interpretation practices for behavioral health providers.