What is Counselling?

Counselling is a private conversation with a specially trained person aimed at supporting you through the entire testing process. Counselling encourages you to explore possible solutions to your problems, and to consider the impact that certain decision may have on your life. HIV/AIDS counselling provided at VCT sites is free and confidential. This means that the Counsellor cannot tell anyone about your result without your permission. You must receive face-to-face counselling before you have the test. This is known as pre-test counselling, and is aimed at ensuring that you make a well-informed decision about whether to have the HIV test or not, and encourages you to explore the possible impact that having the test may have on your life.

Once the test has been done, you will receive post-test counselling. This is the counselling during which you will receive your result. We know that people who have good pre and post-test counselling are able to cope better with their results, and are more likely to look after their health, and protect others from infection. The counselling that you may have once you already know your result is known as on-going counselling. This helps you to live positively with HIV and provides you with support and guidance with regard to any problem that you may face.

Having the HIV antibody test is your own personal decision. No one can force you to have it. Here is some more information about the different kinds of counselling:

Pre-Test Counselling:

This is provided before you decide whether you want to have the HIV antibody test. Some of the issues the counsellor will discuss with you are:

• Why you have decided to come for counselling
• What counselling is, and the role of the counsellor
• What your personal history is
• Whether you have any health problems
• What your risk of being HIV infected is
• What you know about HIV/AIDS
• Information about HIV/AIDS, including the test procedure and what people who are HIV infected can do to make sure they stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
• What alternative there are for solving your problems
• Which issues you want to tackle first
• What impact you think a positive, indeterminate or negative result would have on your life and how you think you would react to receiving them.
• The advantages and disadvantages for you to having the test
• What kind of support system you have including who you would be able to tell if you tested HIV antibody positive.
• How you have coped with problems in the past.

Post Test Counselling:

This is provided after you have had the test. During this session the cousellor will:

• Reveal your test result.
• Let you express your feeling about being HIV antibody positive, negative or indeterminate. Help you to revisit the issues you raised during the pre test counselling session, including any plans you may have made.
• Discuss any immediate problems and help you to decide on a plan of action
• Answer any questions you may have and provide you with useful information
• Discuss positive living
• Give you positive information on what resources there are in your community to help you.

HIV antibody test results are never given over the phone. You can only receive your result face-to-face.

Ongoing HIV/AIDS counselling

Ongoing counselling is what you will receive after you have received your test result. The aims of ongoing counselling are to:

• Help you to manage the impact that HIV has on your own life, and the lives of the people around you.
• Encourage you to take control of your health and take charge of your life.
• Help you to accept your result and live positively with HIV/AIDS
• Explore the advantages and disadvantages of telling other people about your status
• Assist you in tackling your problems
• Provide emotional and psychological support
• Help you to strengthen your support system
• Help you to plan for the future
• Explore issues around death and dying
• Refer you to community resources

Never underestimate the power of ongoing, professional support throughout your experience with Testing and HIV.