Working with HIV-Positive Clients

HIV Disclosure: Deciding Who & When to Tell

This half-day training will increase the case manager's awareness of the multifaceted issues clients face when contemplating HIV status disclosure to family, friends and service providers. The case manager will develop the skills necessary to conduct timely, ongoing assessments and discussion of HIV status disclosure as a component of effective service planning. This training is meant to enhance case manager skills and should not be viewed as a foundation training for new staff entering the field.

By the end of this training, case managers will be able to:

  • Describe the benefits of ongoing assessment and discussion around disclosure;
  • Outline a format to help clients with effective decision-making about HIV/AIDS status disclosure, listing the benefits and limitations;
  • Explain the value of supporting a client's decision regarding disclosure; and
  • Discuss the steps involved in making the decision to disclose HIV/AIDS status to family, friends and service providers.

Prerequisite: Although there is no prerequisite for this course, it is strongly suggested that participants have previous training in HIV confidentiality and have taken "Introduction to Case Management", "Enhancing the Partnership between Client and Case Manager" and "Serving Families: From Assessments to Service Plans."

Audience: All health and human service providers including: case managers and case management technicians in both COBRA and grant-funded programs, supervisors, program directors, and other interested health and human service providers.

To Register: Use the Training Centers' links.

Date Location Training Center
August 4 Syracuse REACH
August 18 Manhattan NDRI
August 24 Manhattan Cicatelli
September 28 Hawthorne ARCS

Back to Training Home Page

Client Advocacy: What to do When Your Client's HIV Confidentiality or Testing Rights Have Been Violated

This 90-minute webinar will cover how to advocate for clients whose HIV confidentiality and testing rights have been violated.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the basic requirements of New York State's HIV testing and confidentiality law (Public Health Law Article 27-F) and HIPAA;
  • List when and how confidential HIV-related information may be disclosed, and who gets to decide;
  • Describe the requirements for informed consent to an HIV test;
  • Advocate for clients whose HIV confidentiality or testing rights have been breached by other agencies; and
  • Respond to clients' complaints that their agency breached their HIV confidentiality or testing rights.

Prerequisite: Participants should have basic knowledge of Article 27-F's confidentiality and testing requirements.

Audience: All health and human service providers and legal advocates serving HIV-positive people.

To Register: Use the Training Centers' links.

Date Location Training Center
September 21 Webinar LAC

Back to Training Home Page

Promoting Primary Care & Treatment Adherence for HIV Positive Individuals

This one-day training is designed to increase awareness of non-physician health and human services providers about HIV primary care guidelines and treatment adherence. Providers who are aware of HIV primary care guidelines and strategies for supporting treatment adherence can play an important role in improving the health outcomes of people living with HIV.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

  • List the components of primary care for patients living with HIV;
  • Identify the key elements of the annual comprehensive physical exam for patients living with HIV;
  • Identify the routine laboratory screening and assessments used in primary care for people living with HIV, including methods used to assess and measure adherence;
  • Recall the different classes of HIV medications and briefly describe how they work;
  • Identify common barriers to treatment adherence, including medication side effects;
  • List three specific strategies for promoting treatment adherence;
  • Identify when referrals to specialty care may be needed;
  • Work as a member of the care team to:
    • help patients take advantage of health maintenance services, vaccination, and prophylaxis for opportunistic infections
    • conduct client assessments and make referrals for a variety of psycho-social issues including substance use, mental health, domestic violence, smoking cessation, etc.

Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that participants have previous knowledge or training on basic HIV/AIDS information.

Audience: Non-physician health and human services providers who work directly with people living with HIV including: case managers, counselors, nurses, support services providers and others.

To Register: Use the Training Centers' links.

Date Location Training Center
September 15 Hawthorne ARCS

Back to Training Home Page

Addressing Prevention with HIV Positive Clients

This one-day training will prepare participants to help people living with HIV to avoid sexual and substance use behaviors that can result in 1) transmitting HIV to others and 2) negative health outcomes for themselves.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • List psychosocial issues that can make it difficult for people living with HIV to change sexual and substance using behaviors associated with HIV transmission;
  • Identify provider values and beliefs about addressing prevention issues with their HIV positive clients;
  • Practice using a booklet that helps people living with HIV consider issues related to disclosure to sexual and needle sharing partners;
  • Practice skills associated with working one on one with HIV positive clients on prevention issues;
  • Explore specific strategies for working with special populations; and
  • Examine prevention resources and be able to make referrals for prevention services.

Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that participants have previous knowledge on harm reduction and basic HIV/AIDS information.

Audience: All health and human service providers, especially those who work directly with HIV-positive clients.

Note: Staff who work in case management programs should attend the training titled, "Addressing Prevention in HIV Case Management".

To Register: Use the Training Centers' links.

Date Location Training Center
July 27 Manhattan Cicatelli
August 11 Manhattan NDRI
August 30 Rochester CHBT
September 13 Hawthorne ARCS

OASAS: The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute is an OASAS Certified Education and Training Provider. This course is approved for initial credentialing and renewal of CASAC, CPP and CPS for 6.5 clock hours.*

*Course are not approved for initial credentialing for CPS.

Back to Training Home Page

Mental Health Services: Ensuring Appropriate Referrals for HIV Positive Clients

This two-day training is designed to orient HIV providers to basic information about mental illness and to prepare providers to make effective referrals to mental health care services.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Discuss values, bias, and stigma of mental illness within different cultures;
  • Describe an overview of mental health and HIV/AIDS in NYS;
  • List of common psychiatric disorders;
  • List mental health service delivery system resources an referrals; and
  • Explore barriers to mental health care.

Prerequisite: None

Audience: All health and human service providers including: case managers and case management technicians in both COBRA and grant-funded programs, supervisors, program directors.

To Register: Use the Training Centers' links.

Date Location Training Center
August 10-11 Buffalo ARC-GBC

OASAS: The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute is an OASAS Certified Education and Training Provider. This course is approved for initial credentialing and renewal of CASAC, CPP and CPS for 15.0 clock hours.*

*Course are not approved for initial credentialing for CPS.

Back to Training Home Page