|
|
|
Positive Impact's mission is to provide cultural and competent mental health and prevention services to individuals affected by HIV.
The first component of this mission statement illustrates how we provide direct mental health services in a manner that is respectful to and capitalizes on the clients’ unique cultural background in order to provide the best possible intervention for that client. For example, a Latino client is not going to respond in exactly the same way as a Caucasian client may to mental health. The reasoning for these responsive differences vary, including the fact that the mental health in the Latino community is sometimes seen as weakness or an inability to handle one's own affairs. Therapy, therefore, must be approached competently in order for it to be efficacious.
The practice of psychotherapy involves a complex network of theories dating back to 1886 when Sigmund Freud began his work with “hysterical” patients. His pioneering work, adopted and modified significantly over the next century by other social scientists, forms the root structure of today's practice of psychotherapy and psychology.
Positive Impact engages the services of paid staff members and a cadre of professional volunteers who provide a cacophony of services to HIV-infected persons.
Most of Positive Impact’s mental health services can be described in one of three ways: by counseling mode, by population served, and by funding source.
Counseling mode simply describes the physical structure of the mental health intervention. In general, Positive Impact provides model services in one of four ways: one-on-one, couples, family, and group counseling.
Population describes services that are tailored to and geared toward a specific group of people. An example of a specific population would be African-American men or incarcerated women.
Describing our model services by funding source is more useful to individuals internally associated with Positive Impact. Frequently, social and human services are paid for by government grants, and these grants tend to be very specific in the type of direct service being provided. Therefore, specific programs tend to be referenced by their grantor's name.
|
|
