The Mental Health Interpreter Training Program has attracted some of the leading teachers in the field. While the faculty varies some each year, the core faculty has been set since 2004.
Robyn Dean, MA, C.I./C.T., Faculty Associate in Psychiatry, University of RochesterSchool of Medicine, Rochester, New York Teaches Demand/Control Schema, Interpreting as a Practice Profession
Ms. Dean was appointed to the faculty of the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1999, in recognition of her scholarship in the interpreting field and her leadership in the education of interpreters, medical students, and other health care professionals.She has been a professional interpreter for over seventeen years, with particular service experience in healthcare and mental health settings. Ms. Dean holds a BA in ASL Interpreting and an MA in Theology. Ms. Dean's application of Demand-Control (D-C) Theory to sign language interpreting, as described in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (Winter, 2001), has been the topic of numerous workshops, publications, and grant projects nationally and internationally.
Charlene Crump, QMHI MHI Coordinator, Office of Deaf Services, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches Psycholinguistics
(Bio on Project Leadership page)
Charlene Crump
Dr. Carter English
Carter English, RPH, Pharm D, Coordinator, Community Pharmacy Program, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches Psychopharmacology
Dr. English is the Coordinator of Community Pharmacy Services for the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Mental Illness Division.He graduated from Auburn University in 1980 and has worked with the Department since 2001.Prior to joining the Department, he managed community mental health programs.He has over 20 years experience working in mental health pharmacy programs.
Steve Hamerdinger, MA Director, Office of Deaf Services, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches Counseling Theories and Approaches for Interpreters, Secondary Trauma and Self Care
(Bio on Project Leadership page)
Steve Hamerdinger
Brian McKenny
Brian McKenny, CI/CT, NIC, QMHI, Staff Interpreter, GreilPsychiatric Hospital, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches Interpreting Mental Status Exams
Mr. McKenny is staff interpreter for the Bailey Deaf Unit at Greil Psychiatric Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama. Brian has worked as an interpreter for over 15 years, with a particular emphasis on mental health situations. He holds the Certificates of Interpretation and Transliteration, as well as the National Interpreter Certification, from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. He was a contributing author to the Interpreting in Mental Health Settings standard practice paper for RID. Mr. McKenny is qualified as a mental health interpreter pursuant to Alabama Code 580-3-24.
Robert Pollard, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology), University of RochesterSchool of Medicine, Rochester, New York Teaches Demand/Control Schema
Dr. Pollard founded and heads the Department of Psychiatry’s Deaf Wellness Center and he is associate director of the National Center on Deaf Health Research, a CDC-funded prevention research center.He has been principle investigator on 30 federal, state, foundation, and local grants and written over 60 publications addressing health and mental health care disparities, assessment and treatment procedures, and cross-cultural research ethics and methodologies pertaining to the deaf population.The American Psychological Association recognized Dr. Pollard with the 1994 early career award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest.
Dr. Robert Pollard
Shannon Reese
Shannon Reese, MA, NBCC Deaf Services Coordinator, Office of Deaf Services, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches CDI Toolkit
(Bio on Project Leadership page)
Kathy Seifried, MS, Chief of the Office of Performance Improvement, Division for Substance Abuse, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Montgomery, Alabama Teaches "Hearing Voices"
Ms Seifriend Chief of the Office of Performance Improvement (Substance Abuse Services) with the Alabama Department of Mental Health. She is responsible for developing a performance improvement plan for the substance abuse services for the state. She serves as the liaison for the AlabamaSchool for Alcohol and other Drug Studies and the SoutheasternSchool for Alcohol and other Drug Studies. Ms. Seifried earned a bachelor and masters degree from TroyStateUniversity in Montgomery.
Kathy Seifried
Roger Williams
Roger Williams, LCSW State Director, Deaf Services, South Carolina Department of Mental Health
Teaches Roles of the Mental Health Professional in Deafness, Confidentiality, Role Playing and Critique
LMSW, CT/NAD 5, Mr. Williams is currently employed by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health as Director for Deaf Services. He was previously the Program Manager at the Piedmont Center for Mental Health Services and the Social Worker IV and Program Coordinator at the Deaf Services Program at Patrick Harris Psychiatric Hospital. He received his B.S.W. from the Rochester Institute of Technology and his M.S.W., specializing in community mental health, from the University of Illinois. In addition, he has a private practice specializing in consulting and training related to the needs of deaf adults in the mental health system. He also has interpreted in a wide variety of settings, including the NAD and RID conferences and in forensic and court settings.Mr. Williams is a S.C. Licensed Master Social Worker, a licensed Residential Care Administrator and holds an RID Certificate of Transliteration and an SCAD/NAD IAP Level 5 Interpreting Certificate. He is the 1989 winner of the N.C. Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities Distinguished Service Award, the 1979 winner of the Robert D. Frisina Award for deaf/hearing integration, the 1996 winner of the “Outstanding Transition to the Community” from the South Carolina Mental Health Association and the 2001 “Interpreter of the Year” for the South Carolina Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.As the parent of four deaf children and two hearing children, a licensed foster parent and the spouse of a deaf adult, Mr. Williams is active in a number of local, state-wide, regional and national advocacy and social organizations, including co-President of the American Society for Deaf Children.
