Career Issues and Concerns for Persons Living With HIV/AIDS

As the perception of HIV/AIDS continues to shift from a terminal illness to a manageable disease, persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) are able to reenter the workforce or remain in their current jobs for a longer period of time. Although this change is positive, it also raises many career concerns for PLWHAs. Using an ecological approach and the theory of work adjustment (Lofquist & Dawis, 1969, 1991), the authors provide suggestions for working with PLWHAs on career-related issues. A case vignette is presented to demonstrate how this approach may be applied. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV/ AIDS is now regarded as a chronic, but manageable, illness Goldblum & Kohlenberg, 2005). As the perception of HIV/ AIDs as a fatal disease changes, the helping professional's view of how to treat persons living with HIV/ AIDS (PLWHAs) must also change. Because PLWHAs are now living longer, career issues related to this increased longevity have surfaced. Potential career implications include how HIV/ AIDS may affect current jobs, consideration for future employment, discrimination in the workplace, and managing medical needs at the workplace. It is important for career counselors working with PLWHAs to be cognizant of such factors when developing treatment plans or therapeutic interventions associated with career concerns (Barrio & Shoffner, 2005). PLWHAs who seek assistance in considering their work options often find a gap between vocational services and AIDS service organizations (ASOs). ASOs are community- based groups working to treat and prevent HIV and AIDS. Services offered by ASOs include case management, educational services, housing and transportation assistance, financial assistance, and legal services (TreatHIV.com, n.d.). Although an ASO may provide adequate medical and psychosocial information, ASO providers typically do not provide vocational counseling. Conversely, the experiences of PLWHAs regarding work have received little research, and career counselors may have limited knowledge about the specific issues pertaining to living with H I V/ AIDS in the workplace (Werth, Borges, McNaIIy, Maguire, & Britton, 2008). Career counselors will need to balance traditional vocational concerns with the unique needs of PLWHAs who are considering entering, returning, or staying in the workplace (Werth et al., 2008). Through the case vignette of John (a fictional client), we address the many career issues and concerns of PLWHAs from ecological (Barrio & Shoffner, 2005; Cook, Heppner, & O'Brien, 2002) and theory of work adjustment (Lofquist & Dawis, 1969, 1991) perspectives and suggest possible treatment interventions. We chose this combination of perspectives because both approaches allow for the consideration of the individual and environmental/systemic factors and together they facilitate the integration of PLWHAs' career and health concerns in the context of societal attitudes toward PLWHAs. Case Vignette of John John is a 42 -year-old White man who currendy lives in an urban city in the Midwest. Five years ago, John began to show signs of flu-like symptoms. Soon afterward, he was diagnosed as HIV positive. Following the diagnosis, John reported experiencing a wide range of emotional experiences, such as feeling numb, denial, guilt for past actions, depression, and suicidal ideation. At the time of his diagnosis, John was working as an electrician for a local, midsize company. Financially, it was important for John to keep his job, and he assumed that if he disclosed his diagnosis he would be fired. Although he never disclosed his health status to his employer, John's employment was terminated 2 years ago. Although John does not have documented evidence, he believes that he was terminated because of his HIV status. John suspected that his frequent visits to the doctor's office and increased sick leave caused suspicion at his midsize company. …