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Colleague 1
While sexual transmitted infections(STI) or Sexually transmitted disease(STD) affects people all over the word some curable while others are not such as Genital Herpes, HIV/AIDS. While overtime since the 80's it caused a huge uproar and many people were confused but the increase of numbers over time. Some people who contract HIV have symptoms such as anxiety, depression, anger, helplessness, guilt, and isolation. Therapist can react different depending on their expertise dealing with disease versus if you have an therapist that is new to disease they may be more prone to being judgmental. Therapist may not realize it but they can have a huge impact on clients weather it's positive or negative. If a therapist has a homophobia for example, therapists may react to clients who they perceive to be responsible for their HIV infection with moralism or indifference (Hoffman, 1996). Historically, persons with HIV have been stigmatized heavily in the United States, because of both the contagious nature of HTV and the fact that already marginalized groups tend to be overrepresented among individuals with HIV (i.e., gay men, intravenous drug users, and ethnic minorities; Hoffman, 1996).
Secondly, a positive way a therapist could counsel a patient who has HIV/AIDS is to educate them ask if he/she would like to attend informational sessions at a local health department, etc be able to be a positive tool for those clients because many will be angry for a long time. Cannot be romantically involved with someone, they will be afraid to tell others, and will more than likely be depressed. giving someone a reason to live for is an honor and duty. Also, maybe finding groups like AA or groups with a commonality of HIV may help some people instead of one on one counseling.
references
Hayes, J. A., & Erkis, A. J. (2000). Therapist homophobia, client sexual orientation, and source of client HIV infection as predictors of therapist reactions to clients with HIV. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 71–78. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.1.71
COLLEAGUE 2
COLLAPSE
HIV/AIDS is looked at by society from a negative perspective. Being told that you are positive for HIV/AIDS can be detrimental to one's health. Someone who is experiencing being positive for HIV may continue their life as if nothing has happened, search for information, or find it difficult to accept. Although it may not appear to be noticeable an HIV client can be suffering mentally, physically, and emotionally after receiving the news.
It is important that professionals are knowledgeable about the disease before working with clients who have HIV. Before working with a client to conduct screening, assessments, or treatment planning, professionals should sort through their own personal attitudes and experiences that they have to work with HIV-infected clients (SAMAH, 2015 ). The professional should also have information about the client's cultural background as the comfort level will vary depending on the client's beliefs.
Working with HIV-infected clients can mentally and emotionally drain professionals. Professionals must be able to prepare to work with a client by learning to value diversity, adapting to diversity, and being very knowledgeable in the client's culture to make culture appropriate decisions to help assist the client (SAMAH, 2015). For example, the professional should help the client as an individual first before looking at the individual based on being a product of their culture.
In order to provide clients with quality service professionals must first do self-assessment work to ensure they’re staying committed to the ethical guidelines.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with HIV/AIDS. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2015. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 37.) Chapter 7—Counseling Clients With HIV And Substance Abuse Disorders. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64930/
Horan, S. M. (2016). Further understanding sexual communication: Honesty, deception, safety, and risk. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33449–468.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
