Services for Women

Women’s Care, Prevention and Support Services (WCPSS)

WCPSS is a unit within the Michael Palm Center for AIDS Care and Support which consist of three programs; Women In Action, Positive Prevention for Women and New Wave Family Center.  Within these programs there are various services provided and criteria to be met for enrollment.

WIA is a program targeting women of color who are HIV positive with past or current use of alcohol or substances, or identify as a chronic relapser, in any stage of recovery.  WIA services include Comprehensive Program Assessment, AOD Individual and Group Counseling, Escorts, Low Threshold Individual and Group Counseling, Seeking Safety Individual and Group Session, Rapid HIV Testing with Linkage to Care, Substance Use and STI Assessments and Referrals, and Follow Up support.  These services are also provided offsite at other partnered organizations (e.g.,  Rivington House in lower Manhattan).  WIA monitors continuity of care through the collection of Primary Care Status Measures (PCSM).

In Women in Action (WIA), we work with women of color who are: (1) HIV positive; (2) who may have a history of alcohol or substance use, or (3) have partnered with an active alcohol or drug user.  We provide individual and group counseling, as well as rapid HIV testing.

TWC program targets HIV positive and High Risk/Unknown Status women in NYC with prevention education and support, particularly women with heterosexual transmission as a risk factor. TWC provides women with group level interventions to increase women’s knowledge about HIV transmission and skills in negotiating safety, be willing and have the desire to change behavior. Services provided are group intervention (Parenting, SISTA, Healthy Choices) and individual intervention (CLEAR), STI assessment and referral, Hep C assessment and referral.  HIV testing referral services are also rendered at this program. Outreach and client recruitment is focused in Upper Manhattan, the South Bronx, East New York, Flatbush in Brooklyn, Jamaica , Corona, Jackson Heights, Woodside and St. Albans in Queens. Additionally, outreach occurs at drug treatment facilities not offering HIV related services, communities where women of color live and/or work. We have a variety of curricula, the first is entitled “Healthy Choices”, which is also referred to as the “Orientation Series” and includes an open six week group.  Once women complete the “Orientation Series” they participate in an additional group entitled “SISTA” (Sister Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS), which is a CDC approved DEBI intervention. This group allows participants to have more in depth discussions about topics related to HIV prevention.  The sessions are gender and culturally—relevant and include behavioral skills practice, group discussions, lectures, role play and prevention take home exercises. We have a program called Parenting, which is a ten-week program focusing on HIV/STI 101 (including how to present the information to children) , parenting rights, nutrition, and other topics. Lastly, we have CLEAR (Choosing Life; Empowerment, Action, Results), which is an evidence based HIV prevention and health promotion intervention delivered one on one using cognitive behavior interventions.

For more information, please contact wcpss@gmhc.org.

Mental Health Services at GMHC

We offer a multi-disciplinary mental health clinic at GMHC that provides free short-term mental health, substance-abuse and treatment adherence counseling to adults living with HIV/AIDS, regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.

We engage clients in an holistic, individually tailored collaborative approach. This is accomplished by creating a dynamic relationship between the client, therapist and other services providers within GMHC and the community. As a team, care coordinate is intended to support the client’s overall mental health and well-being. The impact of psychosocial stressors and behavior on physical health and quality of life are identified to support clients in making informed decisions. Client strengths are utilized to develop comprehensive and achievable treatment plans.

We work with clients on a range of issues including: anxiety, depression, trauma, identity, alcohol and substance use, compulsive sexual behavior, grief and loss, and relationship/family problems. We also support clients with mental illness through care coordination with their psychiatrist and 1:1 weekly counseling.

Our staff consists of professionals in the fields of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Creative Arts Therapies, Substance Use Counseling, and Counseling Assistant.

Counseling services are available in English. Clients enrolled in Mental Health Services are members of GMHC. In addition to the general intake of the agency, potential clients of Mental Health Services will need to be scheduled for a psychosocial assessment before receiving services. Following the assessment the client will be assigned a therapist and/or therapy group, based on availability and the client’s individual preferences. The expectation is that clients will participate in short- term (3-12 months) weekly sessions.

Individual Counseling program provides 1:1 individual weekly therapy sessions.

Family Counseling program works with families, whether biological or of choice, on a wide range of issues such as disclosure, loss, parenting skills and effective communication.

Couple Counseling is offered to couples who have been together for at least 1 year. Issues include healthy communication, trust, behavior change, and discordant HIV status couples.

Group Therapy focuses on issues such as: a New Diagnosis, Disclosure Concerns, Depression/Anxiety, Grief and Loss, Living Well with HIV, Young and Poz, Art Therapy, Long Term Survivors, Sober Living and others. Learn more here.

Creative Arts Therapy provides group and 1:1 individual weekly interventions that use the creative processes of art making, verbal and non-verbal expression and art projects to help foster change and enhance well-being.

CRCS
CRCS is an intensive, client-centered risk-reduction program for male and female clients who are HIV+ or who are at high risk for HIV infection or transmission. In this form of counseling, clients are counseled: to increase their knowledge about both HIV and substance use, to have dialogue about the relationship between substance use and unsafe sexual behaviors, to set realistic therapeutic and personal goals around drug and alcohol use, as well as addressing risky sexual behaviors.

For additional information about CRCS contact Jeremy at: 212-367-1359 or jeremye@gmhc.org

For more information or to register for the group please contact Leon Setton at: leons@gmhc.org or call: 212.367.1284.

For more information regarding Mental Health Services at GMHC email us at: mhs@gmhc.org or call: 212.367.1165.