ABSTRACT
Debriefing should be offered after every therapy session, and most therapists offer ten minutes immediately after the client has left the room. The role of the debriefing session is twofold. It is an opportunity to offer support to interpreters after a difficult session and enable them to reflect on the impact of the work. It also enables both the interpreter and the therapist to improve their working relationship and discuss any difficulties that occurred in the session, or clarify any misunderstandings. It can also be a time for the interpreter to offer some cultural knowledge, or for the therapist to share in more detail how he or she works, or prepare the interpreter for a change in direction or pace. Its primary focus, however, should be to provide support. Interpreters are profoundly affected by the material they hear.
