Psychological assistance, counselling and socio-psychological support for PLHIV in Kyrgyzstan

The need for psychological assistance, counselling and further socio-psychological support for PLHIV and their families are of paramount importance. However, the socio-psychological services provided for PLHIV in Kyrgyzstan are mostly unsystematic, irregular and multilevel in nature, which significantly affects their quality. Based on this, the results of the analysis of the features of the provision of socio-psychological services to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families will be presented, highlighting difficulties and potential opportunities for improving the quality of work. 

According to the results of an expert interview among the specialists involved in the provision of socio-psychological services to HIV-infected people, the following questions will be presented: features of the organization and conduct of psychological counselling on the principle of "peer–to-peer" and its effectiveness; the importance of a motivational interview as a short-term advisory assistance in the context of therapeutic and preventive programs; interdepartmental interaction within the framework of case management, which includes a specialist in social work, a psychologist, an equal consultant and trusted specialists from institutions of various departmental affiliation.

The presentations will also cover the issues of standardization and quality of socio-psychological services, algorithms of socio-psychological support, mechanisms of interaction of an interdisciplinary team, information security, the work of consulting rooms, a system of professional development and others. Thus, we will show the current state of socio-psychological work with PLHIV: highlight the difficulties of implementation and show the possibilities of improving the quality of socio-psychological support for PLHIV and their families.