Psychosocial Support

CHIP offers intensive emotional support and community resources to individuals and families who are involved in our program. CHIP sponsors family-oriented activities which provide opportunities for families to connect with other families facing similar challenges. Clinical social workers are available to assist those in need of support

Disclosure

Disclosure is an issue we discuss at length. This is a decision that is an individual decision for each family. Our advice early on is to be conservative about you tell regarding your child’s HIV diagnosis. This is because once the information is out there, it can’t be taken back. We realize families are excited and want to share information about the child they are adopting or thinking about adopting. However, we are also aware of a few situations where families wish they had not put so much information out there early on.

We encourage people to be thoughtful about who they disclose their child’s diagnosis to. In most cases, family and friends respond in a supportive way. We also remind parents that this is a great opportunity to educate their loved ones.

• Telling our Kids They’re Infected
• Talking with Children about HIV and AIDS
• Disclosure of HIV to Perinatally Infected Children and Adolescents
• Talking with Children, Young People and Families about Chronic Illness and Living with HIV
• Where do I start? Talking to children with HIV about their illness
• AIDS Beacon article about HIV disclosure