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Reviewed by:
  • Deaf Mental Health Care ed. by Neil S. Glickman
  • Judy Mounty (bio)
Deaf Mental Health Care, ed. Neil S. Glickman (New York: Routledge, 2013, 398 pp., paperback, ISBN 978-0-415-89475-3, $61.95)

Deaf Mental Health Care draws on the expertise and experience of respected American and British clinicians and educators. The ten-chapter edited volume, featuring cross-disciplinary perspectives and deaf-hearing collaborations, provides a historical context for a thorough examination of culturally affirmative approaches to mental health care with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Acknowledging the great diversity within the deaf and hard of hearing population, the focus is on individuals who have experienced profound language deprivation, sometimes with an underlying neurological corollary, often compounded by abuse and trauma. Generally related to inadequate or extremely delayed exposure to a signed language, language deprivation affects mental health and well-being, one’s fund of knowledge and literacy, social relationships, social responsibility, and socially appropriate behavior. Glickman proposes a name for this disorder: Language deprivation with deficiencies in behavioral, social and emotional adjustment (65).

Testimony to Glickman’s editorial experience and excellence is the consistency of style and terminology. Core themes described in the introduction and carried throughout the text include the preponderance of deaf individuals with language deprivation in the inpatient mental health population and the criminal justice system, the role of pretreatment with this population, a strengths-based approach to interventions, the balancing of cultural and clinical competence, the key role of deaf professionals, challenges in deaf/hearing partnerships, the alignment of therapeutic techniques with a visually oriented world [End Page 433] view, signed languages, and Deaf culture. Highlights of each chapter follow.

Chapter 1, Lessons Learned from 23 Years of a Deaf Psychiatric Unit, by Neil S. Glickman, examines the prevalence of language deprivation and abuse histories among persons often admitted to the hospital excessively medicated and inaccurately diagnosed by providers unfamiliar with deaf and hard of hearing persons, relatively few of whom have actual major mental illnesses. The chapter also introduces the concept of “pre-treatment,” a process of educating and motivating clients to be ready to participate in therapy and rehabilitation, and explains how a good deaf inpatient program provides a framework for culturally and clinically competent community-based care.

Chapter 2, Deaf/Hearing Cross-Cultural Conflicts and the Creation of Culturally Competent Treatment Programs, by Michael John Gournaris and Alison L. Aubrecht, describes “relational postures” that deaf and hearing persons assume in relating to each other which can help understand and address the cross-cultural conflicts and personnel problems that may arise in the workplace.

Chapter 3, Sign Language Dysfluency in Some Deaf Persons: Implications for Interpreters and Clinicians Working in Mental Health Settings, by Neil S. Glickman and Charlene Crump, explores the role of interpreters in illuminating clients’ language issues as collaborators with clinicians in evaluations. The authors address the challenge of distinguishing between distortions due to disturbance of thought related to mental illness or brain dysfunction and language dysfluency or language idiosyncrasy related to language deprivation.

Chapter 4, Creating a Culturally Affirmative Continuum of Mental Health Services: The Experiences of Three States, by Michael John Gournaris, Steve Hamerdinger, and Roger C. Williams, discusses common elements essential to effective statewide systems, including centralized coordination, offering a continuum of culturally affirmative services that are trusted by the Deaf community, and the capacity to provide services across catchment areas.

Chapter 5, Creating Culturally and Clinically Competent Deaf Residential Programs, by Neil S. Glickman and Wendy Heines, uses a conversation between a hearing administrator and a deaf administrator to illustrate the cultural and clinical challenges of designing and [End Page 434] operating a skills-based, strengths-oriented treatment program. The benefits and challenges of a collaborative, empathic, nonauthoritative approach to psychiatric rehabilitation are discussed.

Chapter 6, Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery: Adaptations to Best Practices When Working with Culturally Deaf Persons, by Debra Guthmann and Cynthia Sternfeld, describes modifications to interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and twelve-step programs for the treatment of deaf persons with addictions, especially those with language and learning challenges. Also discussed are new technology-based interventions such...

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