One of the services offered free of charge at the HIV Wellness Center is peer counseling. Peer counseling is not therapy; instead peer counselors are trained to listen to clients and families who are infected and affected by HIV and to help them deal more effectively with issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
A goal of peer counseling is to normalize the experience of being HIV+, to frame the diagnosis as that of a manageable, chronic disease. Talking with a peer counselor helps to break the isolation of being diagnosed and addresses the fears that often accompany a change in health. While peer counselors can offer support and suggestions, they refrain from offering advice or telling a client what to do. Peer counselors approach the management of HIV infection from a holistic approach; help clients choose from services designed to meet physical, spiritual, and emotional needs; and create a custom-designed Wellness Plan.
The HIV Wellness Center is in need of peer counselors. You can be an important part of someone’s life by giving a few hours of your time a month. Volunteer training begins November 7. If you are interested in becoming a peer counselor, please contact Leah Graham at the HIV Wellness Center at (512) 467-0088.
This article appears in Rick Perry.