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Within the framework of the current drive to transform psychology in South Africa, this paper highlights "other" axes of identity that are arguably largely overlooked within the field. The conversation exposes the discipline of psychology – specifically within the South African context – and its many unexamined assumptions concerning "expected" identities of psychologists – specifically, those along heterosexual and able-bodied lines. By engaging in an autoethnographic conversation, the two authors, both "other", practising psychologists – one queer, one disabled – share and reflect on some of their experiences of feeling othered in their chosen profession. Drawing on parts of queer theory, critical disability literature, as well as the theoretical framework of biopolitical power, we start to make sense of our experiences of difference, deviance, and defiance. How the field of psychology marginalises "other" psychologists, and the impacts on those who bear the oppressions, is exposed; and a conversation is begun in which the discipline's assumptions around compulsory forms of identity – straight, not disabled, among others – are disrupted in productive ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important challenge to enhancing community access to mental health interventions in marginalised, transcultural settings is the development of culturally relevant screening measures. Cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) and translation methods offer guidelines for the adaption of existing screening measures for use across cultures with the aim of preserving semantic and construct equivalence as well as validity. Yet, the application of CCA methods has been inconsistent and validation strategies have focused predominantly on expert review and quantitative validity testing. Additionally, potentially important context-specific interpretations of measure items have been lost in translation-heavy approaches. The missing link in the CCA of existing measures may be the addition of culturally sensitive, community-based evaluative methods. This paper presents a report of the application of a seven-step CCA method developed by the first author to address the issue of cultural relevance in the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Spence Child Anxiety Scale (SCAS) an anxiety measure for use in a specific South African community context. The findings emphasise the surprising context-specific interpretations of items in measures applied transculturally, which support the case for qualitative, community-based validation of translated, CCA screening measures used to explore the effectiveness of mental health interventions across cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]