ABSTRACT
Whenever an individual who is chemically dependent learns that he or she is infected with HIV, they are immediately faced with additional and new-life stressors. Not only does this person have to cope with all of the issues surrounding their addiction, but in addition they are faced with the challenges inherent in adjusting to living with HIV infection and potentially the life threatening condition of full-blown AIDS. There are very limited services available for a chemically dependent HIV infected individual, particularly if he or she is actively using drugs. Various outpatient psychotherapy clinics offer services for this special population, but only if the individual has had some recovery time. When someone who is chemically dependent learns that he or she is HIV positive, this often acts as a catalyst for the person to cope the best way they have learned, namely by using drugs. Outpatient psychotherapy, by itself, cannot provide enough support and treatment for a person who is both chemically dependent and HIV infected, especially if the individual is actively using drugs. However, outpatient psychosocial services can add an important component of care within a whole array of treatment by providing a supplemental support system for a client that is already engaged in various other support systems or by becoming the sole support system for an isolated individual.
