Page 9 - ELG2202 Feb Issue 479

NEWS

Does your therapist speak your (first) language?

By Gillian Ragsdale feelings in a particular language.
Psychotherapy or counselling However, positive emotional
for bilingual speakers is more expressions, such as affectionate
successful with a bilingual therapist language used with children, PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK
or L1 speaker, according to a tends to be expressed in L1,
review by psychologists Kinga Izsóf while negative emotions, such as
Jurásová and Linda Kissová at the those associated with discussing
University of Trnava in Slovakia. a traumatic event, tend to be
Most bilingual speakers have expressed in L2. Thus, bilingual
a dominant language, usually, speakers can potentially regulate
but not necessarily their mother their emotions simply by switching
tongue, L1. A different language languages.
might be used at school and The authors of the review
become dominant, and language are especially interested in the
dominance can even vary over experience of bilingual speakers in
a lifespan. psychotherapy, where this divide
Whether or not the speaker in language use can have both
is fluent in other languages, advantages and disadvantages. issues such as those associated tests have found to score
L1 is associated with greater For instance, it can make it with shame or trauma, but this differently for bilingual speakers
emotionality as language learning possible to talk about feelings that requires a therapist confident in depending on whether they are
in childhood involves the limbic would otherwise be overwhelming both languages. taken in L1 or L2.
system, which processes emotion. in L1, but using L2 could also For bilingual speakers living
On the other hand, decisions block those emotions from being among L2 speakers it may be REFERENCE
made in L2 tend to be more fully expressed. very difficult, if not impossible, n Izsóf Jurásová, K, & Kissová,
rational. For example, moral Clearly the language used to have counselling in their L1, L (2021). ‘Language emotionality
judgements are less emotionally during therapy can influence but a meta-analysis of 76 studies and the verbal expression of
influenced when made in L2. what the bilingual client shares found that counselling is twice as emotional experiences by bilinguals’.
Bilingual speakers may be with the therapist and the effective in L1 compared to L2. Československá Psychologie, 65(5),
unable to find equivalent words in therapeutic outcome. Language Any initial diagnosis is also likely 474-489. https://doi.org/10.51561/
each language to express feelings switching in particular can enable to be influenced by the language cspsych.65.5.474 libezproxy.open.
and so prefer to express some the discussion of very emotional used, as cognitive and personality ac.uk/10.1111/jcal.12610

HELBLING ENGLISH

Communication made easy

studio
AMERICAN

SPACE TO LEARN

American Studio is the exciting new six-level course for adult learners, with an innovative lesson-based approach to topics.
The Studio ‘space’ encourages students to be creative with language and provides teachers with clear, easy-to-teach lessons.
Author team: Lindsay Clandfield, Robert Campbell, Rob Metcalf, Philip Kerr, Rebecca Robb Benne.

helbling.com/english

editorial@elgazette.com 9
EL GAZETTE _AMERICAN STUDIO_189x135mm_Advert.indd 1 12/02/20 15:56