HIV/AIDS Assessment, Treatment, and the Role of Mental Health
Fulfills requirement: HIV-AIDS for CA-LCSW, LPCC & LMFT 1st renewal
Once considered a terminal illness, HIV/AIDS are now classified as chronic illnesses with substantially increased life expectancy. However, in spite of marked advances in treatment, over a million people die from HIV/AIDS globally each year, resulting in ongoing concerns regarding prevention, adherence to treatment, and treatment of comorbid mental health concerns.
This beginning-level course is comprised of 6 articles. Part one provides an overview of the assessment, treatment, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Included are definitions and explanation of transmission, how a person becomes infected, current methods of treatment, challenges to adherence, prevention and concerns of special populations.
The second section of this course provides an overview of the role of counseling and psychotherapy with HIV/AIDS patients. Articles are provided discussing the importance of integrative approaches to addressing mental health and HIV and the growing trends for integrative models of care. The final article provides an overview of basic components of counseling and education that have been shown to be effective in working with mental health concerns arising out of having HIV.
Educational Objectives
- Summarize the current basic information about HIV/AIDS, including definition, transmission, and how a person becomes infected
- Describe how HIV and AIDS are treated and the drug therapies available
- Describe types of prevention of HIV disease infection
- Discuss the bi-directional relationship between mental health concerns and HIV
- Identify the most common comorbid HIV and mental health disorders
- Discuss the role of the therapist in counseling those with HIV/AIDS, including providing counseling, education, and social support
Syllabus
- HIV Overview
- HIV and AIDS: The basics
- HIV Prevention
- The basics of HIV prevention
- Preventing exposure
- HIV Treatment
- Overview
- Adherence
- Side Effects of Medication
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Preventing perinatal transmission
- Medications during pregnancy and childbirth
- HIV and Specific Populations
- Children and adolescents
- Women
- Gay and bisexual men
- Older adults
- HIV and opportune infections
- Living with HIV
- Treatment
- Mental health
- Nutrition
- Substance abuse
- Mental health and HIV - the need for an integrated response
- Using service animals for social support
- HIV & mental health
- Comorbid conditions
- Substance abuse
- Depression
- Therapeutic interventions