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ONGOING
COUNSELING
Ongoing
counseling is also referred to as "Supportive Counseling" the aim
of which on one hand is helping people living with HIV/AIDS to lead
active and productive lives to the extent possible , and on the
other hand to cope with the probability of shortened life expectancy.
During periods of relative health , issues involving activities
and personal goals are important. The counselor helps the client
to maintain hope and engage in constructive coping patterns . During
other periods coping with the prospect of death is a more salient
feature.
Support
groups for people living with HIV/AIDS :
Groups
are the single most effective intervention for many people living
with HIV/AIDS because group members can serve as role models for
each other as they share solutions to common dilemmas , members
benefit from helping one another , and being in a group with others
who face the same life - threatening disease provides a sense of
community and ameliorates a sense of isolation.
A
group should ideally include an opportunity to express intense ,
often understand emotions and experience the therapeutic value of
both receiving help from group members and giving help to others.
An opportunity to discuss issues of disclosures and coming to terms
with ones diagnosis and also to discuss difficult or dreaded issues
such as anticipatory grief and death. Because group members are
coping with the same disease , they may have an impact in a way
that an unafflicted therapist cannot.
Peer Support
Groups :
There
are many ways in which Peers can serve as informal sources of counseling
or emotional support and assist in daily living activities. Peers
unlike spouses , partners , friends ,and family members enter a
relationship with a person living with HIV knowing that he or she
is positive and knowing what the disease progression might entail.
Support
Groups for Families of people living with HIV/AIDS :
Caregivers
such as partners / spouses,parents ,siblings and other family members
are often forgotten when the psychosocial impact of HIV disease
is considered .HIV disease is often described as affecting all aspects
of ones life and this holds true for caregivers too The most pervasive
and painful issue is the anticipated loss of the loved one. As the
disease progresses caregivers acutely feel the loss of the relationship
with the loved one as it was known prior to HIV. Societal stigmatization
may also add to the burden of grief that caregivers experience.
Therefore
support groups for the caregivers would have as its primary goal
to reduce stress and improve the psychological functioning in caregivers.
The focus would also be on teaching about contagion ,helping family
members to manage the unique social aspects of HIV disease such
as stigmatization,shame,fear and anger and attempt to instill a
sense of hope and control in family members.
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