Meeting the “Now” Need: PMH-APRN— Interpreter Teams Provide In-Home Mental Health Intervention for Depressed Latina Mothers With Limited English Proficiency

Abstract

Latina mothers of infants and toddlers are at high risk for developing serious depressive symptoms if they are newly immigrated and have limited English proficiency (LEP). Depressive symptoms compromise these mothers and result in severe consequences for their U.S.-born children. A randomized clinical trial of a short-term, in-home psychotherapy intervention for symptomatic mothers in an area of the United States where bilingual mental health providers were scarce used teams of English-speaking advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurses and bilingual community interpreters who were trained in a conduit, consecutive model of interpretation. The article describes the development of a theoretically congruent interpreter model, the training program that supported it, the challenges that surfaced and lessons learned during successful implementation in the field. Future refinements in progress and uses of the model are discussed.