Counseling in the context of HIV/AIDS, Counseling and Psychotherapy for Elderly, Old age and Retirement.

1. Counselling in the Context of
HIV/AIDS; Counselling and
psychotherapy for Elderly: old
age and retirement
Submitted by,
Samuel Roy
S2, MSW
No:1425

2. HIV/AIDS COUNSELLING
• When patients know that they have HIV infection they may suffer
great psychosocial and psychological stresses through a fear
of rejection, social stigma, disease progression and the
uncertainty associated with future management of HIV.
• General aims of HIV/AIDS counselling are
 Prevention of HIV transmission.
 Support of those affected directly or indirectly by HIV.

3. RISK ASSESSMENT COUNSELLING
A diagnostic service that is available whether self-administered risk
assessment could improve targeting of HIV counselling and testing
in a STD clinic.
It involves
• Assessment of risk factors.
• Assessment of current intent and plans.
• Assess to current suicidal intent
• Assessment of needs

4. RISK REDUCTION COUNSELLING
• Collect their history, past risk behaviours, information about
sexual practices and drug use.
• Provides some basic information on HIV/AIDS and how it is
transmitted.
• Try to give several options for volunteers to protect themselves.
- Create an environment that allows volunteers to be comfortable
discussing their personal behaviours.
- Remain objective and avoid judging is effective in getting people to
change their behaviours and reduce their risk.

5. PRE-TEST COUNSELLING
Provide information on the technical aspects of testing and the possible
personal, medical, social, psychological, legal and ethical implication of being
diagnosed as either HIV positive or negative.
Guidelines
• Reasons for testing.
• Assessment of risk.
• Beliefs and knowledge about HIV infection.
• Information about the test.
• The implications of an HIV test result.
• Anticipate the results.
• Confidentiality of test results.

6. • Informed consent.
• Information about giving results and on going support.
The waiting period.
Anticipate difficult waiting period by discussing:
- People whom the client might contact for moral support while
waiting.
- Encourage them to contact you or colleague if they have any
questions.
- Counsel the client on how to protect sex partners.
- Encourage the client to do something enjoyable to keep himself or
herself occupied

7. POST-TEST COUNSELLING
• Pre and post test counselling should preferably be done by the same
person because the established relationship between the client and
counsellor provides a sense of continuity for the client.
• Thus counsellor will also have a better idea of how to approach the
post-test counselling.

8. Sharing news with the client.
• Test results should be given to the client personally.
• Feedback should take place in a quiet, private
• environment.
• Use simple and straight forward language.
• Choose neutral words when conveying result.
• Counsellor’s task is to convey optimism and hope.

9. Client reaction to a positive result.
• Allow the client to deal with the news in their own way.
• Give the opportunity to express their feelings.
• Counsellor should show empathy, warmth and caring.
• Maintain neutrality and respond professionally to outbursts.
Responding to client needs.
• An attitude of non-judgemental empathic attentiveness is more
important than doing or saying specific things.

10. STI COUNSELLING
Before offering counselling; Identify
• The needs of the client which may relate to stress or anxiety about
the particular aspect of STI.
• Special need for confidential risk assessment and planning for risk
reduction.
• Counselling skills, privacy and the time including availability for
follow-up discussions.

11. Issues to be addressed,
• Informing partners about STI diagnosis.
• Assessing patient’s risk for HIV and deciding whether or not to
undergo testing for HIV.
• Learning about worrisome complications such as infertility,
congenital syphilis etc.
• Prevention of future infections.
• Confidentiality, disclosure and the risk of violence or stigmatizing
reactions from spouse, partner, family, friends etc.

12. Counseling for the Elderly-
Old age & Retirement Counseling
Counseling is a scientific process of assistance extended
by an expert in an individual situation to a needy
individual. Counseling involves relationship between
two persons in which one of them (counselor) attempts
to assists the other(counselee or the client) in organizing
himself as to attain a particular form of happiness,
adjusting to a life situation or in short, self actualization.

13. Geriatric ( old age) counseling
Counseling given to older people
Geriatric counselors assist older adults with choosing from the wide array
of social and health services and programs available to them.
Geriatric counselors are care managers for older adults, helping them to
facilitate family support, provides direct care and coordinate care from
professional systems

14. Purpose
Assisting older adults and their families or other
concerned parties in realistically assessing needs and creating personalized
plans tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual.
Geriatric counseling
• It is a type of counseling that is meant to offer assistance to offer assistance
to older adults during this difficult transition period in their lives.
• It begins typically by assisting elderly individuals with a number of
problems, from mental health issues to finding transportation.

15. The roles of a Geriatric Counselor
• Geriatric counselors are to be experts at understanding the needs of
their clients, solution for their problems, accessibility of required
services and so on.
• Must be familiar with the client and his illnesses, disabilities or
limitations
• Develop a comprehensive care plan that includes all the possible
services the individual requires.
• They should arrange frequent visits with clients to ensure that their
needs are met, identifying any changes that necessitate an individuals
needs for new programs or services

16. • Care management
• Acts as a liaison between elderly people and their physicians.
• Must has extensive knowledge about the diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's,
diabetes and other age related problems.
• They must focus on study, diagnosis and assessment of the clients and their
behaviors. And using this information, develop a treatment plan for the client .
• Counseling.
• Another role is in the education realm. Geriatric counselors could provide
trainings and classes to a variety of people.
• They will work with the family members of the elderly clients to teach them how
they can best support their loved ones in old age.
• Advocacy.

17. Retirement Counseling
The concept of Retirement:
• Retirement implies the terminal cessation, relaxation or change over of
financially remunerative employment.
• It is a life stage
• It is a period of economic inactivity or a change over in one’s economic
inactivity, socially / legally prescribed for workers in later life
• Retirement is a phenomenon characterized by separation of the worker from
paid employment, which has the characteristic of an occupation or a career
over a period of time. It is essentially a period of adjustment

18. Types of Retirement
• 1. Voluntary Retirement= when the employee decides on his own
retirement from the service before the attainment of stipulated retiring
age or years of service.
• 2. Compulsory Retirement = it occurs when the employee had to retire
because he has attained the maximum age of retirement or years of
service.
• 3. Forced Retirement = it occurs when the employee is not consulted
before he is made to withdraw from service with or without benefits.

19. Sources of Retirement Stress & Problems
Fear or anxiety about retirement
Serious plans on post retirement life
Lack of understanding
Financial problems
Social stigma
Health constraints
Retirement is associated with financial stress
Adjustment problems

20. Concept of Retirement Counseling
It is the process of providing prospective retirees with factual
information needed to make a pleasant transition from the world of
work into the world of less rigorous occupational schedules- retirement
A review of insurance policies
Management of personal income during retirement
Explanation of the retirement process
General information about social security
Medicare coverage and acquisition of life skills needed for optional
adjustment to retirement roles.

21. Services includes…
Information services
Vocation services
Planning, placement and follow-up services
Referral services