A counselor would certainly intervene differently with a client who is HIV positive and with a client has been diagnosed with AIDS. Let's look at what a counselor might do in these situations.

For an HIV positive client, a counselor would have to spend time on education about how the disease is transmitted and how the client can avoid spreading it to other people. A counselor would also have to focus on addressing the anxiety and depression that would come with such a diagnosis. This might include talking with the client one-on-one to allow him or her to express those emotions as well as finding ways to manage them, but it also may mean a referral to a support group or group therapy. Other possibilities include couples counseling if the client has a spouse or family counseling for a spouse and children. The counselor will also have to assist the client through experiences of isolation and the difficulties of telling loved ones about the diagnosis.

Some of these methods would also apply to a client who has been diagnosed with AIDS, although in this case, a counselor will have to deal with a much more immediate health threat and the need to adjust to the possibility of severe illness and death in the not-too-far future. A counselor will also have to help a client cope with the medical treatment he or she may be receiving and its side effects. The counselor would have to help the client build strong family and social networks for greater support.