Support groups for people living with HIV and their relatives and friends

The GLAS Foundation in collaboration with The “Health without Boarders” Foundation’s CheckPoint Sofia host a monthly help group for patients living with HIV. At each free meeting the virus-bearing patients can share their achievements, difficulties and challenges with each other in a protected environment, and thus receive and provide other people with emotional and moral support. The participants in the group are dealing with specific situations and problems, and it is possible that physicians, lawyers or other specialist will be invited to some meetings if necessary and with the permission of the participants in the group. Anyway the groups are based on mutual assistance and are not aimed at professional psychotherapy.

The meetings are moderated by Alexander Milanov, a clinical social worker with experience in counseling patients with socially significant illnesses, children and young people at risk, foster parents and adopters. Those interested in joining the initiative can visit the website and the Facebook page of Checkpoint Sofia.

Friends and relative of people living with HIV can also attend a specialized support group. Each session is run by a clinical social worker and takes usually 90 minutes outside working hours. The sessions are free of charge and accessible to anyone who knows, lives or has a strong emotional connection with people living with HIV. Those who wish to attend must fill out the online form here.