Protecting Myself from STDs and My Partners from HIV
AHP offers a variety of programs specifically related to helping people living with HIV protect themselves from getting a sexually transmitted disease and protect their partners from getting HIV. These include individual and couples prevention counseling and support groups focused on sex and sexual negotiation, intimacy, alcohol and drug use, relationships, isolation, and issues related to recently testing HIV-positive.
For more information about individual or couples counseling or to schedule an intake interview, please call 415-476-3902.
REACH Support Groups
Several AHP support groups focus, in particular, on helping people with HIV address issues related to prevention. These groups are run by AHP’s REACH Program.
FAQ about REACH Support Groups
Sex and Sobriety
Ongoing. Sex and Sobriety focuses on topics such as navigating sober sex and attaining emotional intimacy. For gay and bisexual men, regardless of whether they are HIV-positive, HIV-negative, or untested, with at least three months of current, continuous sobriety. For information call 415-476-3902 and ask for the REACH Program.
Reality Check Drop-In Group: Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol
Mondays, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The Reality Check Drop-In Group is for gay and bisexual men—whether they are HIV-positive, HIV-negative, or untested—who are abstaining from their drug of choice or trying to do so. Meeting on Mondays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the group offers an opportunity for participants to create a sober sexuality, deal with HIV disclosure and safer sex, or learn how to handle loneliness and intimacy. The group is a non-judgmental space to talk about ways in which sex or relationships can trigger and affect drug use and influence overall well-being. To learn more, call 415-476-3902 and ask for the REACH program, or drop in.
REACH Workshops
REACH workshops offer a good way for individuals to learn more about a topic, get support, and meet other men. Workshops occur once a month on Friday evenings, 6:15 pm to 9:30 pm, and generally include brief instruction and discussion in large and small groups. Workshops are open to gay and bisexual men regardless of whether they are HIV-positive, HIV-negative, or untested.
The following are among the monthly workshops and workshop series that REACH has conducted in the past:
Men Connecting: Provides education and support for individuals seeking to enhance their skills around meeting men, dating, negotiating and communicating about sex in dating situations, and developing relationships.
Body Image: Looks at issues of body image as they affect gay men, including how we see each other in the gay community and how we see ourselves, and how issues of body image can affect HIV-risk taking and other health-related issues.
Hot and Healthy Sex: Offers a forum for sexually active gay men seeking greater fulfillment or pleasure from sex; also discusses issues of preventing HIV and STD transmission.
Fearless Dating: How to Say No and Hear No: Helps participants deal with issues of rejection—including rejection based on HIV or STD status—in dating relationships. To find out more, consult the current Calendar of Workshops, check out our Frequently Asked Questions, or call 415-476-3902 and ask to speak to the REACH Program.
