A Cognitive-Behavioural-Based Counselling Intervention Programme: A Rationale for the Counselling of Adolescents and Youth Living with HIV&AIDS in a Rural South African Town

Abstract

Adolescence, on its own, is a tremendously trying period for any young person, and having to cope with the added burden of being HIV-positive can have a devastating effect on a young person's psychological development. This is why the need for strategies and interventions aimed at the mental health of young people living with HIV&AIDS (PLWHA) is becoming increasingly critical. Despite the increased levels of psychological distress faced by HIV-positive adolescents and despite the numerous calls for counselling post-diagnosis, little has been done to meet the psychosocial needs of South African adolescents and youth living with HIV&AIDS from a developmental point of view. This article outlines the initiatives that have been implemented to target the health of young PLWHA and makes the argument that new interventions catering for the psychosocial needs of young PLWHA, in terms of managing the virus, need to be developed. In conclusion, the Cognitive-behavioural-based Counselling Intervention Programme is introduced as one possible means of meeting the psychosocial needs of young PLWHA.