For this assignment I spoke with Cathy, a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in addiction and substance abuse disorders. As the head of the Southern Arizona Aids Foundation’s (SAAF) counseling program, Cathy oversees and runs several different group structures from basic process/coping skills groups, which are open to the public, to highly structured closed therapy groups with strict guidelines concerning membership. As the name suggests, all groups offered by the SAAF are targeted at those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, apart from the basic process/coping skills group, which accepts non-positive family members as well. Although I asked questions about all the groups offered, my primary focus was on their closed therapy/psychoeducational …show more content…
Stressing the importance of confidentiality initially, and throughout the entirety of our conversation, Cathy maintained that group members must adhere to very strict rules concerning the information discussed within the group, as well as member identities. Sadly, the only breech she has had in any of her groups resulted in violence against the compromised member, prompting a “zero-tolerance” policy to protect the personal safety of group members. Understandably, the sensitive nature of the HIV or AIDS diagnosis and co-occurring substance abuse disorder carries a heavy stigmatic burden, therefore, any group member found to be discussing other members, on any medium (social media, with other group members, or non-group members) will be immediately removed from the group. This aligns well with the overall goals of the group, which she described as promoting a positive and stigma-free environment for recently diagnosed HIV and AIDS clients to gain a deeper understanding of their illness and its interaction with their substance abuse …show more content…
By the time a client gets to Cathy, the universal requirements have been established (client must be HIV or AIDS positive, have current CB4 and other lab work), where she then begins the screening process for group placement. For example, a Hispanic Spanish speaking client with alcohol issues would most likely be placed into one of the Spanish groups offered, whereas a non-Spanish speaking client with a history of IV drug use would be placed in another. According to Cathy, this is done to enhance the cohesiveness of the group and to limit members. In cases where a client is not a good fit for a specific group or cannot wait for a group to open, Cathy may work with them on an individual basis or find an alternative group that is appropriate for their