Once Upon a Time in Therapy: Crafting Therapeutic Narratives to Help Familiarize Children with the Therapeutic Process.

Young children often harbor misconceptions about psychotherapy and the role of psychologists. These misconceptions are ignited by rumors and misinformation that are provided to the child by a variety of sources and can compromise both the effectiveness of therapy and the therapeutic dyad. In this paper we explore how recent trends in patient engagement in child psychotherapy, cultural dynamics between patients and practitioners, and children's lack of knowledge surrounding mental health services can negatively impact therapy. Wednesday Afternoons with Dr. J. (WADJ) is a whimsical fictional therapeutic narrative created to inform children about aspects of the therapeutic process while providing adults with tangible structure surrounding how to talk to children about mental healthcare. The advantages of utilizing this narrative to prime children for therapy are discussed, as are methods for promoting the narrative to the greater community.

Working Therapeutically with Interpreters in Mental Health: A Curriculum for Clinicians.

Given the increasing numbers of people who lack proficiency in spoken English, it would not be uncommon for American healthcare practitioners to encounter clients whose primary language is not English. Additionally, for those clinicians who specifically wish to work with immigrants, refugees or asylees, it is likely that their clientele will be comprised of LEP individuals and families. While many professional interpreters have completed formal training and been certified to provide their unique services, mental health clinicians rarely receive such training to help negotiate the complex dynamics inherent in working with LEP populations where the therapeutic relationship is altered with the addition of an interpreter. This training curriculum proposes the detailed, in-depth training for clinicians as recommended by numerous sources in the literature.