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Arlyn has crafted a satisfying niche in the interpreting field that integrates her many interests, including community building, technology and mental health. She is an interpreter, consultant, and personal coach. She practices these and other vocations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and across the country by telephone and video technology. Arlyn is driven by a commitment to design and communicate conscious, respectful and balanced approaches to interpreting in mental health settings. In the summer months you are likely to find her coaching and playing aboard her sailboat, "Freelancer."
About Mental Health Interpreting:
My lifelong interest in mental health has led to exciting opportunities to study, practice, teach and otherwise engage with this fascinating topic. Early in my career, my curiosity was sparked by the innovative work of a team of Deaf and hearing mental health professionals at Ross Hospital, in Kentfield, California. In that a beautiful setting, in the shade of Mt. Tamalpais, they served children, adolescents and adults in a unique inpatient psychiatric setting. It was there I learned that interpreters, like me at the time, who had little understanding of the mental health environment, could unintentionally interfere with therapeutic processes in subtle, but important ways.
As the daughter of an inventor, I repeatedly witnessed how the spark of an idea, combined with creativity and resourcefullness could be carried through to produce tangible and useful creations. With this as my foundation, I set out to incorporate creativity, resourcefulness and heart into my practice of interpreting in mental health settings.
About Co-Active Coaching:
As my mental health interpreting consulting work evolved, I recognized the opportunity to broaden my knowledge and skillset to encompass the personal challenges that often arose for my colleagues. I needed a model for supporting and hearing the 'hard stuff' that would build on my intuition and compassion, and also give me a structure and ethical framework.
Like other professionals who work in mental health settings, interpreters are strongly encouraged to develop awareness and management of their inner-lives. I gave that advice myself, and yet was able to point to few resources for interpreters to take that all-important step toward self-knowledge. I set out to see what there was to offer to interpreters who didn't feel the desire to do psychotherapy, and to the others who wanted to actualize the insights gained in therapy in a new way.
The Co-Active coaching model turned out to be such a startlingly powerful fit that I have since received my certification and expanded my coaching services to include coaching interpreters and others beyond mental health settings -- simply for the sake of their fuller, happier, more productive lives. All things being interconnected, of course, I believe that happier, more fulfilled, self-aware interpreters still provide the best mental health interpreting, too!
ID Matters:
I am simply dumbfoundedly happy to have stumbled upon this fun and interesting business idea! Lynne Wiesmann, the owner of Signs of Development, gave me this great advice when I consulted her about creating a business to make ID badges available nationwide, "Growing this business is not going to be your problem. You need to challenge yourself to keep it small enough to manage effectively and to enjoy - while you do the other things you do." With that, I decided that ID Matters didn't need to fit into any pre-fabricated small business mold. I wanted ID Matters to offer interpreters a unique and valuable tool, and to offer me an outlet to express my values of creativity, travel and connection.
Thanks to my wonderful customers, since 2002, ID Matters has been just that and more! |
Memberships & Affiliations
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID)
Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (MRID)
Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT)
World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI)
National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Minnesota Coaches Association (MCA)
Minnesota Deafblind Association (MDBA)
Credentials & Education
Compassion Fatigue Specialist Educator, Traumatology Institute, Toronto, CA, 2010
BA, Mental Health and Deaf Studies, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN, 2006
Certificates of Interpretation and Transliteration (CI & CT), RID, Inc.
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Coaches Training Institute, San Rafael, CA, 2008
Graduate, Coaches Training Institute, San Rafael, CA, 2007
Certificate, Ohlone College Interpreter Preparation Program
ASL Studies, Vista College; University of California, Berkeley, CA; Interpersonal Communications, University of Montana
Currently pursuing Masters in Human Development Program, St. Mary's University, Minneapolis, MN, expected graduation 2011
Recent Projects & Publications
Standard Practice Paper - Video Remote Interpreting-Mental Health Setting, RID, Inc., 2010
Standard Practice Paper - Interpreting in Mental Health Settings, RID, Inc., 2007
Author, Mental Health Interpreting, New Mexico Mentoring, 2006,
Video production, Interpreting for Therapy, 2002, 2007
Contributor, Content Expert, Mental Health Interpreting Draft Domains and Competencies, NCIEC, 2007
Facillitator, Co-Founder, Peer Support and Consultation Project for Interpreters Working in Mental Health Settings, CSD of MN, 2008-present
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