Too close to home? Experiences of Kurdish refugee interpreters working in UK mental health services.

BACKGROUND: Despite their essential role in the National Health Service, there is limited research on the experiences of refugee interpreters.

AIMS: To explore Kurdish refugee interpreters' experiences of working in UK mental health services.

METHOD: Six participants were interviewed and data collected were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

RESULTS: The results showed that interpreters often felt overwhelmed by the emotional impact of interpreting in mental health services, particularly at the beginning of their careers. Interpreters struggled to negotiate complex and unclear roles and responsibilities. Interpreting for refugees with shared histories was particularly challenging.

CONCLUSIONS: The study recommends that interpreters working in mental health services receive training on mental health issues and self-care and are assisted by frameworks to help make sense of the impact of the work, such as supervision.