Interpretation Services - Sharing understanding , spreading hope
Anyone who has lived in Houston for a little over a week has come across people who speak a language other than English . As one of the most diverse cities of the world , Houston is home to people from all the continents , and a substantial portion of them are not fluent in English . These individuals make up a significant amount of Harris Center clientele .
For this population , professional interpretation is just as crucial as adequate mental health treatment and intellectual and developmental disability supports to improve their lives . Each language is so complex that a bilingual dictionary or online translation services are simply not enough .
David Rodriguez is one of five full-time interpreters at The Harris Center . Over two decades , he has held different roles at the Center and has served the majority of this time as an Agency interpreter . David describes his assistance to clients as " a teaching tool that will help them have the knowledge they need to make progress ."
" I love what I do ," David says .
While there are staff members who are certified bilingual speakers in The Harris Center clinics , Agency Interpreters
support treatment teams by providing a smooth conversation between providers and clients during appointments when certified staff are not available .
" Whether a therapist , a nurse or a service coordinator , clinicians really want to help their clients ," David says . " You have to be calm and explain exactly what the clinician says in a way that clients will understand . If they don ' t , I try to explain it in a different way ."
Besides being proficient in another language , interpreters must also master a wide knowledge of medical terminology , The Harris Center programs and treatment plans of care , and its mission . They each interpret for up to eight patients per day , and travel all across Harris County : to clinics , homes , apartments and even the Harris County jail .
Working with a population with special needs requires passion and devotion . Clients of The Harris Center often have life-long serious conditions . As an interpreter , David has witnessed firsthand the need and desperation of individuals and family members . But , David believes that his service is making a difference .
" They came here because they need help ," David says . " My job is to help them understand that there is hope for progress , and that they can become a family . I want them to thrive and succeed ."
In addition to the five full-time interpreters , The Harris Center Rights Office also includes three part time employees . A contract with MasterWord Services also provides interpretation services in over 40 languages , including sign language .
Texans Recovering Together - Helping flood survivors
Most people experience stress reactions following a traumatic event such as the recent flood events . Texans Recovering Together ( TRT ) is a team of licensed counselors from The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD who reach out to survivors to offer free grief and loss crisis counseling , disaster education and resource referrals to help meet immediate needs .
Crisis counseling helps reduce the intensity of an individual ’ s emotional , mental and physical behavioral reactions to this type of trauma , which is essential for recovery . TRT provided services to approximately 39,000 survivors of the May 2015 flood event . The team has plans to continue providing this assistance to more individuals affected by other floods .
Through canvassing affected neighborhoods , participating in community outreach events and by utilizing the FEMA registration list provided by state partners , the team continues to complete follow-up visits with survivors to ensure that needs have been met .
As part of their outreach and awareness activities , TRT held educational groups in Spring Independent School District . A Spring ISD representative shared his experience with the TRT team .
“ Spring ISD loves TRT . Jermaine and the rest of the team have been wonderful . They have provided parents , students , faculty and staff with all of the tools necessary to be ready when disaster strikes . Thank you all for educating Spring ISD .”
Texans Recovering Together works under the auspices of The Harris Center , through the Texas Department of State Health Services . Funds for this program are provided by FEMA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration .
Individuals who would like more details about TRT may contact 844-279-6036 or send an email to trt @ mhmraharris . org for more information .
Interpretation Services - Sharing understanding, spreading hope
Anyone who has lived in Houston for a
little over a week has come across people
who speak a language other than English.
As one of the most diverse cities of the
world, Houston is home to people from
all the continents, and a substantial
portion of them are not fluent in English.
These individuals make up a significant
amount of Harris Center clientele.
For this population, professional
interpretation is just as crucial as
adequate mental health treatment and
intellectual and developmental disability
supports to improve their lives. Each
language is so complex that a bilingual
dictionary or online translation services
are simply not enough.
David Rodriguez is one of five full-time
interpreters at The Harris Center. Over
two decades, he has held different roles
at the Center and has served the majority
of this time as an Agency interpreter.
David describes his assistance to clients
as "a teaching tool that will help them
have the knowledge they need to make
progress."
"I love what I do," David says.
While there are staff members who
are certified bilingual speakers in The
Harris Center clinics, Agency Interpreters
support treatment teams by providing a
smooth conversation between providers
and clients during appointments when
certified staff are not available.
"Whether a therapist, a nurse or a service
coordinator, clinicians really want to
help their clients," David says. "You have
to be calm and explain exactly what the
clinician says in a way that clients will
understand. If they don't, I try to explain
it in a different way."
Besides being proficient in another
language, interpreters must also
master a wide knowledge of medical
terminology, The Harris Center programs
and treatment plans of care, and its
mission. They each interpret for up to
eight patients per day, and travel all
across Harris County: to clinics, homes,
apartments and even the Harris County
jail.
Working with a population with special
needs requires passion and devotion.
Clients of The Harris Center often
have life-long serious conditions. As
an interpreter, David has witnessed
firsthand the need and desperation of
individuals and family members. But,
David believes that his service is making
a difference.
"They came here because they need
help," David says. "My job is to help
them understand that there is hope
for progress, and that they can become
a family. I want them to thrive and
succeed."
In addition to the five full-time
interpreters, The Harris Center Rights
Office also includes three part time
employees. A contract with MasterWord
Services also provides interpretation
services in over 40 languages, including
sign language.
Texans Recovering Together - Helping flood survivors
Most people experience
stress reactions following
a traumatic event such as
the recent flood events.
Texans Recovering
Together (TRT) is a team
of licensed counselors
from The Harris Center
for Mental Health and IDD
who reach out to survivors
to offer free grief and loss
crisis counseling, disaster
education and resource
referrals to help meet
immediate needs.
Crisis counseling helps
reduce the intensity of an individual’s emotional, mental and
physical behavioral reactions to this type of trauma, which is
essential for recovery. TRT provided services to approximately
39,000 survivors of the May 2015 flood event. The team has
plans to continue providing this assistance to more individuals
affected by other floods.
Through canvassing affected neighborhoods, participating
in community outreach events and by utilizing the FEMA
registration list provided by state partners, the team continues
to complete follow-up visits with survivors to ensure that needs
have been met.
As part of their outreach
and awareness activities,
TRT held educational
groups in Spring
Independent School
District. A Spring ISD
representative shared his
experience with the TRT
team.
“Spring ISD loves
TRT. Jermaine and the
rest of the team have
been wonderful. They
have provided parents,
students, faculty and
staff with all of the tools
necessary to be ready when disaster strikes. Thank you all for
educating Spring ISD.”
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