Chapter SPS 203

Chapter SPS 203

SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS; SCOPE OF PRACTICE RESTRICTIONS

SPS 203.01   Definitions.

SPS 203.02   Provision of services in a medical setting.

SPS 203.03   Provision of services in a mental health treatment setting.

SPS 203.04   Provision of services via video relay services or video remote interpreting.

SPS 203.05   Maintenance of qualified mental health interpreter status.

SPS 203.01 SPS 203.01 Definitions. In this chapter:

SPS 203.01(1) (1) “Acute mental health crisis” means any situation in which a individual’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or to function effectively in the community.

SPS 203.01(2) (2) “Medical setting” means any interpretation situation involving the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of illness or injury, not including a mental health treatment setting.

SPS 203.01(3) (3) “Mental health treatment setting” means an interpretation situation involving any of the following settings or situations:

SPS 203.01(3)(a) (a) Psychiatric, psychological, or neuropsychological evaluations.

SPS 203.01(3)(b) (b) Mental health or substance use assessments or screenings.

SPS 203.01(3)(c) (c) Court ordered mental health, behavioral health, or substance use disorder treatments.

SPS 203.01(3)(d) (d) State and county facilities that house individuals with mental illness, mental health, or substance use disorder diagnoses.

SPS 203.01(3)(e) (e) Legal settings involving mental health, behavioral health, or substance use disorder concerns.

SPS 203.01(3)(f) (f) An acute mental health crisis.

SPS 203.01(3)(g) (g) Evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment of minors or those under guardianship relating to mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorder concerns.

SPS 203.01(4) (4) “Legal setting” means any interpretation situation involving consultation with an attorney, law enforcement related setting, or during any immigration related proceedings, for the purposes of obtaining legal advice, any interpretation situation involving a negotiation or meeting in which one of the parties is represented by an attorney, or any interpretation situation taking place within a law enforcement setting, immigration proceeding or courts of the state of Wisconsin or United States.

SPS 203.01(5) (5) “Team interpreting” means the practice of using two or more interpreters who work together to provide interpretation for an individual, either due to a speech impairment, hearing loss, deafness, deaf-blindness, or other disability, so that the individual can adequately hear, understand, or communicate effectively in English.

SPS 203.01(6) (6) “Video Relay Services” means the practice of individuals who use sign language to use video equipment to communicate with other individuals who are using a voice telephone.

SPS 203.01(7) (7) “Video Remote Interpreting” means the practice of providing interpreting services through video technology, and the interpreter is offsite or remote while providing services to the client.

SPS 203.01 History History: CR 22-001: cr. Register July 2023 No. 811, eff. 8-1-23.

SPS 203.02 SPS 203.02 Provision of services in a medical setting. Only individuals who meet one of the following criteria may provide sign language interpretation services in a medical setting:

SPS 203.02(1) (1) Hold a sign language interpreter - intermediate hearing license under s. 440.032 (3) (c), Stats., and is team interpreting with an individual who is licensed either as a sign language interpreter - advanced hearing license under s. 440.032 (3) (d), Stats., or licensed as a sign language interpreter – advanced deaf license under s. 440.032 (3) (f), Stats.

SPS 203.02(2) (2) Hold a sign language interpreter – advanced hearing license under s. 440.032 (3) (d), Stats.

SPS 203.02(3) (3) Hold a sign language interpreter – intermediate deaf license under s. 440.032 (3) (e), Stats.

SPS 203.02(4) (4) Hold a sign language interpreter – advanced deaf license under s. 440.032 (3) (f), Stats.

SPS 203.02 History History: CR 22-001: cr. Register July 2023 No. 811, eff. 8-1-23; corrections in (1) to (4) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2023 No. 811.

SPS 203.03 SPS 203.03 Provision of services in a mental health treatment setting. This section only applies to applications for licensure received on or after September 1, 2023.

SPS 203.03(1) (1) Individuals who hold an active qualified equivalency from the Alabama Department of Deaf Services may provide sign language interpretation services in a mental health treatment setting.

SPS 203.03(2) (2) Individuals who do not hold the qualified equivalency must meet the following alternative pathway criteria to provide sign language interpretation services in a mental health treatment setting:

SPS 203.03(2)(a) (a) Hold either a sign language interpreter – advanced hearing license under s. 440.032 (3) (d), Stats., or a sign language interpreter – advanced deaf license under s. 440.032 (3) (f), Stats., and

SPS 203.03(2)(b) (b) Submit documentation, satisfactory to the department that they have completed a minimum of 40 clock hours of training within the previous 2-year license cycle including the following topics:

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1. 1. ‘Mentoring and supervision skills.’

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.a. a. Interpreting methods and appropriate use of simultaneous, consecutive, and narrative interpreting.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.b. b. Knowledge of the difference between interpreting and communication assistance or language intervention.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.c. c. Identifying care providers, identifying mental health disciplines, and familiarity with milieus and settings.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.d. d. The role of an interpreter as a professional consultant.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.e. e. Professional boundaries.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)1.f. f. Confidentiality and privilege, including abuse reporting, the duty to warn, and protections specific to Wisconsin statutes.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2. 2. ‘Mental health knowledge.’

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.a. a. Mental health issues and treatment options in Wisconsin.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.b. b. Specialized vocabulary used in psychiatric settings in both the source and the target languages.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.c. c. Psychopathologies, including knowledge of the names of the major mental illnesses treated in both the target and source languages.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.d. d. Symptomology of major mental illnesses experienced by the patients as presented within the psycholinguistic context of the target language group.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.e. e. Assessment methods and understanding of the impact of interpretation when doing an assessment.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)2.f. f. Etiology and its impact on mental health, hearing loss, and language.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3. 3. ‘Cultural competency.’

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.a. a. Treatment approaches.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.b. b. Impact of cultural influences on assessment and treatment.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.c. c. Inpatient settings and the various staff that will be working in those settings and how interpreting and cultural differences can influence therapeutic relationships in those settings.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.d. d. Outpatient settings, self-help and support groups and the specialized vocabulary used in those groups.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.e. e. Influence of interpreting and cultural differences on therapeutic relationships in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.f. f. Cultural views of mental illness, mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse specific to the populations the interpreter works with.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.g. g. Constructs of deafness and hearing loss relative to majority/minority cultures and pathological models.

SPS 203.03(2)(b)3.h. h. Sociological impact of cross-cultural mental health service provision and the impact of an interpreter on the therapeutic dyad.