Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV/AIDS


Book Description

Although efforts have been made and continue to be made to reduce the rate of HIV transmission in the U.S. and globally, the rates continue to increase in the majority of countries. In the U.S., members of minority communities remain especially at risk of HIV transmission. An individual’s discovery that he or she has contracted HIV, or that a loved one has contracted the illness, often raises significant issues that necessitate interaction with mental health professionals. Mental Health Practitioner’s Guide to HIV/AIDS serves as a quick desk reference for professionals who may be less familiar with the terminology used in HIV/AIDS care and services.




HIV and Social Work


Book Description

As HIV/AIDS continue to plague societies around the world, more and more social workers encounter HIV-infected individuals and their families and friends who are searching for help and support. In HIV and Social Work: A Practitioner's Guide, experienced social workers share their practice wisdom, knowledge, and skills on a broad range of issues. Their words of wisdom will give you the willingness to follow problems through and the flexibility and creativity that are required when dealing with issues concerning HIV/AIDS. At the same time, you will achieve a sense of empowerment and optimism as you realize that there are things you can do--very specific kinds of help you can offer--that can make an enormous difference in the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and those who love and care for them. HIV and Social Work is a practical, user-friendly resource for social workers who practice in a variety of settings and fields. You'll find it a rich and useful book if you're moving into HIV/AIDS work and want guidance, or if you're experienced and want to sharpen your skills, or if you just want to be prepared for when you find people with HIV or their family members in your office in need of help. Specifically, you'll gain valuable insight about: basic psychosocial interventions for people with HIV/AIDS in-depth practical suggestions for specific problem areas and specific groups of people with HIV/AIDS better listening skills how to know your own limitations and live your own life more fully in the face of sadness the importance and challenge of returning to fundamental social work skills You'll refer to HIV and Social Work time and time again as you confront new HIV-related situations in your practice for which you need easy-to-understand descriptions of what to do and how to do it. Acknowledging your busy schedule, the book is organized so that you may use it on a “knowledge as needed” basis or read it straight through. Written specifically by and for social workers, HIV and Social Work is highly recommended as required reading in social work programs at the Bachelor's and/or Master's levels.




HIV Psychiatry


Book Description

This book is a practical guide in understanding how to prevent HIV transmission, to recognize risk behaviors, and to add something else to their repertoires. It aims to empower clinicians and provide a sense of security and competence with the recognition and understanding of some of the psychiatric illnesses that complicate and perpetuate the HIV pandemic that continue to persist throughout every area of the world despite the magnitude of the progress that has transformed the illness from a rapidly fatal to chronic illness that is no longer life-limiting. Missing in most of the literature on HIV is the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, contribution of psychiatric symptoms, psychiatric illness, and risk behaviors that drive the pandemic and serve as catalysts for new infections. This practical guide provides state-of-the-art understanding of not only prevention but also a way to recognize risk behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, and psychiatric illnesses that will demystify and decode the sometimes enigmatic and frustrating reasons for nonadherence with diagnostic procedures and life-saving treatments and care. All behaviors and pathology are covered as well as the resources and treatments available. The goal of this text is to refresh knowledge on the current state of psychiatric illness management among people living with HIV, to provide a concise volume on the psychiatric aspects of HIV prevention and treatment that substantially impact the overall care of the patient, and to help understand the psychiatric catalysts of the pandemic Written by experts in the field, HIV Psychiatry: A Practical Guide for Clinicians provides enduring guidance to medical and other professionals caring for complicated clinical patients as they face ongoing challenges in working with persons with HIV and AIDS.




Therapists Guide To Understanding Common Medical Problems


Book Description

Everything mental health clinicians need to know about the medical conditions of their patients. People seeking therapy for mental health issues often also have medical problems such as diabetes, AIDS, asthma, or heart conditions. As a therapist, should you ignore the medical conditions that your clients may have, and simply stick to what you’re trained in, healing the mind and not focusing on medical or bodily issues? Or, should you inquire about any medical issues during intake and give them full attention? As a non-medically trained practitioner, how much should you really be expected to know about these issues? These answers and more can be found in this book. Geared specifically to nonmedically trained mental health professionals, it gives practitioners a better understanding of exactly how physical health issues play out in the context of mental health issues, equipping clinicians with the information necessary to more effectively create and manage a comprehensive psychotherapeutic treatment regimen.




Handbook of HIV and Social Work


Book Description

Praise for Handbook of HIV and Social Work "Cynthia Cannon Poindexter has given us a remarkable edited volume that contains much information on HIV that every professional social worker needs to know in order to practice competently in today's complex world."—From the Foreword by Vincent J. Lynch, MSW, PhD, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work "This comprehensive handbook assembles a group of social work scholars and practitioners to participate in, guide, and address many of the unresolved challenges characterizing the HIV debates. This handbook is a valuable and timely addition to the literature."—King Davis, MSW, PhD, The Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy, The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work "This handbook is an outstanding resource for the social work professional working to ensure equal access to care, treatment, and resources for all persons living with and/or affected by HIV."—Evelyn P. Tomaszewski, MSW, Project Director, NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum: Mental Health Training and Education of Social Workers Project "This book is an excellent, up-to-date guide on HIV. It is an indispensable resource for all those who work with HIV and all its complications."—Leon Ginsberg, MSW, PhD, Dean Emeritus, University of South Carolina School of Social Work and Editor, Administration in Social Work The most current knowledge on the HIV pandemic in a thorough, diverse, and accessible volume This invaluable book draws on a distinguished roster of HIV advocates, educators, case managers, counselors, and administrators, assembling the most current knowledge into this volume. Handbook of HIV and Social Work reflects the latest research and its impact on policy and practice realities, with topics including: History, Illness, Transmission, and Treatment Social Work Roles, Tasks, and Challenges in Health Care Settings HIV-related Community Organizing and Grassroots Advocacy The Impact of HIV on Children and Adolescents HIV-affected Caregivers







Psychological Perspectives in HIV Care


Book Description

The care paradigm for people with HIV has shifted from managing progressive illness with a poor prognosis to managing a chronic condition. Despite this improvement, people living with HIV continue to experience considerable stresses, so promoting their holistic wellbeing is a key aspect of long-term care. This book provides an accessible introduction for healthcare professionals who work with people living with HIV. It is designed to help readers understand how care in practice can be more person-centred and psychologically focused, whilst promoting compassion, health and wellbeing. Topics covered include self-awareness, attachment theories and communication as well as key aspects of providing care for people living with HIV, such as stigma in young adults, neurocognitive issues, the sexualized use of drugs, managing neuropathic pain, and the needs of older adults living with HIV. Invaluable reading for health professionals working within multidisciplinary teams that provide care for people living with HIV, this book is also a core text for those studying in the area.




HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 Years On


Book Description

Much has happened since the first appearance of AIDS in 1981: it has been identified, studied, and occasionally denied. The virus has shifted host populations and spread globally. Medicine, the social sciences, and world governments have joined forces to combat and prevent the disease. And South Africa has emerged as ground zero for the pandemic. The editors of HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 Years On present the South African crisis as a template for addressing the myriad issues surrounding the epidemic worldwide, as the book brings together a widely scattered body of literature, analyzes psychosocial and sexual aspects contributing to HIV transmission and prevention, and delves into complex intersections of race, gender, class, and politics. Including largely overlooked populations and issues (e.g., prisoners, persons with disabilities, stigma), as well as challenges shaping future research and policy, the contributors approach their topics with rare depth, meticulous research, carefully drawn conclusions, and profound compassion. Among the topics covered: The relationship between HIV and poverty, starting from the question, "Which is the determinant and which is the consequence?" Epidemiology of HIV among women and men: concepts of femininity and masculinity, and gender inequities as they affect HIV risk; gender-specific prevention and intervention strategies. The impact of AIDS on infants and young children: risk and protective factors; care of children by HIV-positive mothers; HIV-infected children. Current prevention and treatment projects, including local-level responses, community-based work, and VCT (voluntary counseling and testing) programs. New directions: promoting circumcision, vaccine trials, "positive prevention." South Africa’s history of AIDS denialism. The urgent lessons in this book apply both globally and locally, making HIV/AIDS in South Africa 25 Years On uniquely instructive and useful for professionals working in HIV/AIDS and global public health.




Gender and Violence in Romani and Traveller Lives


Book Description

This is the first interdisciplinary collection to analyse the place of Romanies and Travellers within contemporary Europe through the lens of gender and violence. In hospitals, schools, and social assistance centres; in encounters with humanitarian agencies and the police; and in media and state representations, violence against Romanies and Travellers is always gendered. The contributors disentangle the array of relations, expectations, and beliefs that make gendered violences against Romanies and Travellers appear necessary, unavoidable, or appropriate. They examine forms of gendered violence that may develop within Romani and Traveller communities against this framework of oppression and attrition. The volume foregrounds the methodological and ethical challenges involved in researching gendered violences in Romani and Traveller contexts, questioning the relationships between gender, violence, and other experiences and concepts such as marginalisation, oppression, exclusion, harm, slow death, social suffering, and necropolitics. The volume is grounded in reflexive feminist standpoints with a collaborative ethos that offers proposals for further analysis, policy development, and engaged practice. It contributes to the theorising of gendered violence in the social sciences by assessing dominant models and perspectives in the light of overlooked Romani and Traveller experiences, and is particularly relevant to scholars from anthropology, gender studies, sociology, and social work.




HIV/AIDS in Rural Communities


Book Description

This wide-ranging volume reviews the experience and treatment of HIV/AIDS in rural America at the clinical, care system, community, and individual levels. Rural HIV-related phenomena are explored within healthcare contexts (physician shortages, treatment disparities) and the social environment (stigma, the opioid epidemic), and contrasted with urban frames of reference. Contributors present latest findings on HIV medications, best practices, and innovative opportunities for improving care and care settings, plus invaluable first-person perspective on the intersectionality of patient subpopulations. These chapters offer both seasoned and training practitioners a thorough grounding in the unique challenges of providing appropriate and effective services in the region. Featured topics include: Case study: Georgia’s rural vs. non-rural populations HIV medications: how they work and why they fail Pediatric/adolescent HIV: legal and ethical issues Our experience: HIV-positive African-American women in the Deep South Learning to age successfully with HIV Bringing important detail to an often-marginalized population, HIV/AIDS in Rural Communities will interest and inspire healthcare practitioners including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, case managers, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and family therapists, as well as educators, students, persons living with HIV, advocates, community leaders, and policymakers.