Mental Health Considerations in the Assessment and Treatment of those with HIV/AIDS

Fulfills requirement: HIV-AIDS for Florida pre-licensure

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.