AHP SERVICES
- Getting an HIV Test
- Getting an HIV Test
- Understanding HIV Testing Options
- Making an HIV Test Appointment
- Assessing Your HIV or STD Risk
- Managing Your Test Results
- Volunteering to be a Counselor
- Staying and Being Negative
- Staying and Being Negative
- HIV Testing
- Protecting Myself and My Partners from HIV
- Addressing Substance Use
- Resources Outside of AHP
- Unsure of the Service You Want
- FAQs about REACH Support Groups
- Living with HIV
- Living with HIV
- Getting Emotional and Psychological Support
- Receiving Psychiatric Care
- Coping with Substance Use and HIV
- Getting Immediate Help for a Mental Health Crisis
- Protecting Myself from STDs and My Partner from HIV
- Resources for People with HIV in the Bay Area
- Unsure of the Service You Want
- FAQ About HIV-Positive Support Groups
- List of all AHP Support Services
- List of All AHP Support Groups
- AHP Calendar
- AHP Calendar
- Provider Training, Publications and Consultation
- Provider Training, Publications and Consultation
- Provider Trainings: HIV Prevention and Mental Health
- Provider Publications: HIV Prevention and Mental Health
- CEU Center for MFTs, LCSWs, and RNs
- San Francisco Community Psychiatric Consultation
- Research at AHP
- Research at AHP
- Current Research Studies
- Past Research Studies and Publications
- Key HIV Research Websites
- Contact the Research Program
HELPING AHP
- Donating to AHP
- Donating to AHP
- Donate Now
- Other Ways of Donating
- How AHP Uses Your Donation
- Art for AIDS and Online Gallery
- Annual Gala
- Other Fundraising Events
- Read Our Biannual Report
- Volunteering, Interning and Working at AHP
- Volunteering, Interning and Working at AHP
- Clinical Traineeship
- Post-Baccalaureate Internship Program
- HIV Test Counseling Volunteers
- Volunteer Facilitators
- Administrative Volunteers
- Event and Fundraising Volunteers
- Paid Jobs at AHP
MORE ABOUT AHP
- AHP Administration
- AHP Administration
- AHP Leadership
- Community Advisory Board
- Mission, History and Programs
- Mission, History and Programs
- Where We Came From
- Read Our Biannual Report
- List of All AHP Programs
- Contact AHP
- Contact AHP
- AHP Staff Only
- AHP Staff Only
- Privacy Policy
- Privacy Policy
- AHP's UCSF Affiliations
- AHP's UCSF Affiliations
Support Groups for People with HIV
AHP offers a variety of drop-in and ongoing support groups each week to help people cope living with HIV. Groups are facilitated either by trained volunteers or staff clinicians.
Drop-In Groups take place either every week or once a month, and participants can show up as often as they want—without registering or having an intake interview.
Ongoing and Time-Limited Groups take place weekly. To register for a group, an individual must be able to commit to attendance; time-limited groups require a commitment to the duration of the group (generally 14 weeks) and ongoing groups generally require a 6-month commitment. The first step is to complete an intake assessment, an appointment during which the individual and a counselor discuss the individual’s needs and the ways AHP might meet them. Fourteen-week groups have closed membership; that is, no new members enter the group after its first or second week.
To schedule an intake assessment or for more information, call 415-476-3902. Or, for general information about support groups for people with HIV, click on the link below to Frequently Asked Questions.
Frequently Asked Questions about HIV-Positive Support Groups
The following HIV support groups are currently being offered at AHP:
Drop-In Groups
People Living with HIV or AIDS
Mondays, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. A supportive environment to discuss feelings about disclosure of HIV status, health care and medication use, sex, substance use, isolation and community-building, dating and relationships, life transitions, and other relevant issues. Please arrive 5 minutes to 10 minutes prior to group start time.
Time-Limited Groups
Time-Limited Group for Newly Positive Gay Men
Various Times. A weekly group, lasting 14 weeks and meeting in the evenings, for people who have recently tested HIV-positive or who are newly addressing issues related to HIV. Topics include: disclosure of HIV status, work-related issues, health care and medication decisions, medications side effects, substance use, the challenges of sex, relationships, and intimacy, and identifying community resources.
Ongoing Groups
General HIV and AIDS
Various Times. Ongoing weekly groups, with daytime and evening groups for people at any stage of living with HIV to get and give support. Topics include relationships, long-term survival, sex, dating, aging, body image, isolation, community, and other issues related to living with HIV. Requires a six-month commitment.
Considering Work
Various Times. A weekly group meeting in the evenings, requiring a 14-week commitment, for people living with HIV who are in transition from disability or recovery to school or work. A supportive space in which participants can meet other people in transition and discuss barriers to achieving occupational or educational goals. The group is diverse, including members who are actively seeking work and members who are contemplating returning to work or school.
For People Regardless of HIV Status
Sex and Sobriety
14-week group. 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 six months of current, continuous sobriety from their drug(s) of choice. For information call 415-476-3902.
Aging
14-week group. For gay and bisexual men age 45 and up to talk about issues of aging in their lives. For information, call 415-476-3902.
Reality Check Drop-In Group
Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol
Wednesdays, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The Reality Check Drop-In Group is for gay and bisexual men—HIV-positive or HIV-negative—who are abstaining from their drug of choice or trying to do so. 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, or drop in.
AIDS and Substance Abuse (ASAP) Drop-In Group
Thursdays, 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. The ASAP Drop-In Group is for people with substance use concerns, especially related to living with HIV or staying HIV-negative. Topics often include: strategies for harm reduction, maintaining physical health, and dealing with depression and other emotional issues. There is no needs assessment interview or registration required. Please arrive five minutes to ten minutes prior to group start time and check in at the front desk when you arrive.
SNAP Talk! Support for Gay and Bi Men In Their 20s and 30s
Who are New to San Francisco
Thursdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Young gay men move to San Francisco all the time. But, being new to the city isn't easy. Finding a job, an apartment, friends, or a boyfriend all can be tough.Young gay newcomers often say they feel disconnected and isolated. All of this can make them more vulnerable to not-so-healthy coping strategies such as substance abuse and HIV-related risk behaviors. SNAP Talk! is a weekly drop-in group for gay and bi men in their 20s and 30s who are new to San Francisco or the Bay Area and who want to talk about sex, jobs, boyfriends, roommates, HIV and other STDs, and anything else about getting settled here.
SNAP Talk! meets at the LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, San Francisco, and is open to participants regardless of HIV status. The group is co-facilitated by a counselor from AHP and a staff member of SNAP. Participants can show up without registering, or call 415-865-5614 for more information.
SNAP Talk! is a collaboration of the REACH Program of AHP and the San Francisco Newcomers' Assistance Program (SNAP) of the LGBT Center. SNAP offers numerous social and other programs for gay, bi, and trans men who are new to living in San Francisco.
For Men of a Certain Age Support for Gay and Bi Men In Their 40s and 50s on Up Who are New—or Feel New—to San Francisco
3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. A drop-in group for gay and bi men who are new, or feel new, to the City. The group is a place where participants can talk about meeting men, relationships, sex, health, housing, jobs, and all the other things that make life in San Francisco a joy and a struggle.
For Men of a Certain Age meets at the LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, San Francisco, and is open to participants regardless of HIV status. The group is co-facilitated by a counselor from AHP and a staff member of SNAP. Participants can show up without registering, or call 415-865-5614 for more information.
For Men of a Certain Age is a collaboration of the REACH Program of AHP and the San Francisco Newcomers' Assistance Program (SNAP) of the LGBT Center. SNAP offers numerous social and other programs for gay, bi, and trans men who are new to living in San Francisco.
