PROJECTS >> Home-based Care  | ACTS/Lay Counselling  | ECD Health  | Children's Circle of Support  | Parenting Worx  | Grade R  | Monitoring & Evaluation 

ACTS/Lay Counselling

The Hermanus Rainbow Trust is also the official partner to the Western Cape Department of Health for the provision of HIV/AIDS counsellors and ARV adherence counsellors at local clinics in the Overstrand Municipality. The Trust has lay HIV/AIDS counsellors and ARV adherence counsellors stationed at clinics throughout the Overstrand region. The lay HIV/AIDS counsellors conduct pre- and post-test counselling to individuals who have voluntary HIV tests at clinics. Nurses are thus able to concentrate on the medical aspect of testing while counsellors can focus on the emotional and psychological aspect. The Advise, Consent, Test, Support (ACTS) process is a vital component of HIV/AIDS prevention and management, and is used throughout the world. HIV/AIDS counsellors must go through specific training before being able to practice as counsellors. These counsellors also provide general counselling to patients, and if it is felt that more specialised counselling is required they will be referred to the social department or to external social workers.

In addition to lay HIV/AIDS counsellors the Trust employs ARV adherence counsellors at clinics and hospitals where antiretroviral (ARV) medication – which slows the reproduction rate of HIV in the body – is dispensed. ARVs are dispensed by the state to patients who demonstrate more advanced onsets of AIDS. Adherence counsellors perform pre- and post-test HIV/AIDS counselling and have gone through further training that enables them to perform counselling relating to ARV usage. ARV adherence counsellors and HIV/AIDS lay counsellors perform outreach work in their communities in addition to providing counselling at clinics. Through their outreach work they are able to connect with clients who might not be able to make it to clinics, and to impart vital information and knowledge to individuals who have not yet been through the ACTS or ARV process. Individuals living with HIV/AIDS and who qualify to receive state antiretroviral (ARV) medication are also identified and are transported to the Stanford ARV clinic on ARV distribution days.

ACTS/Lay Counsellors are given access to skills development programmes in a similar fashion to that of the Trust's home-based carers.