A Counselling Intervention for Psychological Distress Among People Living with HIV and AIDS in the Eastern Cape.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an integrative counselling intervention for people living with HIV and AIDS who are prone to distress in the Eastern Cape. The counselling intervention was developed using a multidisciplinary approach, which included psychological and traditional approaches to counselling. Health care workers and people living with HIV and AIDS were recruited to participate in the development of the intervention. Thirteen health care workers and 18 people living with HIV (PLHIV) participated in the study. The health care workers evaluated the feasibility of the counselling intervention. The findings of the study showed that the counselling intervention content was designed in a manner that appealed to health care workers when providing counselling to PLHIV. The health care workers found the counselling intervention useful but challenging in alleviating distress among clients, as it incorporated counselling dimensions not relevant to the South African context. The findings of the study indicated that there is a need for alternative counselling interventions in South Africa to complement western models of interventions in alleviating distress among PLHIV in South Africa.