Unemployed Relevance workshop--Finding or creating nontraditional ways of participating in and contributing to our world, our city, and our house as an HIV+ person while unemployed for whatever reasons for however long. Identifying ways that we are already contributing that we don't think of as counting. Supporting each other in doing more if we can, when we can.
Creative Ways of Building What Some of Us Need or Want From a Family workshop--Personal social systems are a part of human health. What kind of people and animals would be your perfect family? How can you call their living qualities into your life?
Outing group--Exercise. SF SPCA volunteer dog-walking group or free neighborhood walking without dogs tours.
Spirituality—This group can be whatever clients want as they want it. It can be a discussion group on non-supernatural faith in the goodness of people, a reading group, meditation group, prayer, or yoga. (The sunniest room in the house is lit with Victorian stained glass shadows, and you can make shrines in the alcoves throughout the house with whatever, to whatever you want as long as you're careful with candles. The three round rooms are capped by a conical room in the attic for pagans. Gumbo (the calico) is busy running around up there anyway. This group can take a field trip once or twice a year down the street to chant with Krishna Das at the bascilica of Mission Dolores.
13. More Discussions Upstairs...
Sero-Sorting Workshop—ways to find other HIV+ people besides
Positive House. (You can find each other here too, just not in the same workshop. If you’re hooking up here though, you’re going to have to do it in a closet.) If relationship seeking, how to avoid mismatching with another positive person in ways that would be hurtful to us or to someone who is already vulnerable. If looking for a long-term sero-concordant relationship, how to be honest with ourselves about what we’re up for in dealing with someone else’s potential physical challenges along with our own, as well the emotions that come with those. How to gauge and honor affinities, desires, needs and limitations.
Sero-Concordant Relationships support group—facilitator can't speak on this. But it will be here.
Body Image Workshop—accepting and seeing beyond our other-objectifications and self-objectifications, (just like AIDS Health Project's workshop for men regardless of HIV status). Dealing with wasting, lypodystrophy, and other physical effects of HIV and medications, adjusting to changes from aging and ageism. If it’s a problem, accepting what we would not be able to change without surgery and hormones if we aren’t up for that. Accepting that and what comes and goes with it if you are.
Positive House. (You can find each other here too, just not in the same workshop. If you’re hooking up here though, you’re going to have to do it in a closet.) If relationship seeking, how to avoid mismatching with another positive person in ways that would be hurtful to us or to someone who is already vulnerable. If looking for a long-term sero-concordant relationship, how to be honest with ourselves about what we’re up for in dealing with someone else’s potential physical challenges along with our own, as well the emotions that come with those. How to gauge and honor affinities, desires, needs and limitations.
Sero-Concordant Relationships support group—facilitator can't speak on this. But it will be here.
Body Image Workshop—accepting and seeing beyond our other-objectifications and self-objectifications, (just like AIDS Health Project's workshop for men regardless of HIV status). Dealing with wasting, lypodystrophy, and other physical effects of HIV and medications, adjusting to changes from aging and ageism. If it’s a problem, accepting what we would not be able to change without surgery and hormones if we aren’t up for that. Accepting that and what comes and goes with it if you are.
12. More Discussions Upstairs...
Joys and Challenges of the Single Life—this workshop was developed by and is offered at UCSF AIDS Health Project and is introduced in its newsletter thus: “People sometimes feel that if they are single, they have failed, that their lives are ‘less than.’… [However] a single person is more likely than someone in a relationship to feel free to do what he wants when he wants, without being limited by the preferences of the other person. He may also feel greater freedom to more fully develop and appreciate meaningful, long-lasting friendships outside of romance…. The free workshop will focus on the joys of being single, and it will explore the pressures people feel--both from others and from themselves to be in a relationship. It will also look at responding to challenges such as loneliness.” +Positive House will ask AIDS Health Project to guest-host its workshop for us, with expansion of the meaning of “people.”
Effects—intentional or not—of language on our abilities to heal and live healthy lives facilitated discussion group—Topics include effects on us of homophobic labels, the racial derogative “DL,” and straight-hate, “breeder.” (To call a 40-year-old, single, childless woman with AIDS a “breeder” and then explain the term to her is hate.) Topics can include the effects of accepted, unneccessarily dehumanizing descriptions of care, such as promotion of services as though they were for everyone affected when they're not.
Description-kind online connecting workshop—How to be discriminating about what we want, without discriminating. (Just like Stop AIDS Project’s workshop at the LGBT Center except this one is for the whole positive rainbow.) Our workshop will also address awareness of different kinds of power disparities so we don’t hurt each other or get hurt when we don't want to.
Disclosure issues facilitated discussion group—This is not prevention directed. This is just a forum to deal with all our feelings about it.
Effects of closeting—as well as effects of the forces that create the need for closeting—on ALL of us facilitated discussion group.
Sex and Sobriety facillitated workshop--Working toward thoroughly living the lives we want with as much presence as we can.
Transmission risk and decision-making--knowing ourselves and circumstances, and taking care of each other (extended each other).
Effects—intentional or not—of language on our abilities to heal and live healthy lives facilitated discussion group—Topics include effects on us of homophobic labels, the racial derogative “DL,” and straight-hate, “breeder.” (To call a 40-year-old, single, childless woman with AIDS a “breeder” and then explain the term to her is hate.) Topics can include the effects of accepted, unneccessarily dehumanizing descriptions of care, such as promotion of services as though they were for everyone affected when they're not.
Description-kind online connecting workshop—How to be discriminating about what we want, without discriminating. (Just like Stop AIDS Project’s workshop at the LGBT Center except this one is for the whole positive rainbow.) Our workshop will also address awareness of different kinds of power disparities so we don’t hurt each other or get hurt when we don't want to.
Disclosure issues facilitated discussion group—This is not prevention directed. This is just a forum to deal with all our feelings about it.
Effects of closeting—as well as effects of the forces that create the need for closeting—on ALL of us facilitated discussion group.
Sex and Sobriety facillitated workshop--Working toward thoroughly living the lives we want with as much presence as we can.
Transmission risk and decision-making--knowing ourselves and circumstances, and taking care of each other (extended each other).
11. More Discussions Upstairs...
Medical Choices discussion group--This group is a forum in which to freely discuss any aspects of complicated and evolving personal decisions regarding medicine and treatment.
Dealing with Medication and Illness discussion and support group facilitated by some kind of medical provider.
Depression and emotional life with HIV support group.
Isolation discussion and support group—dealing with isolation due to concealment or revelation of HIV status, isolation due to physical and emotional challenges of HIV, isolation due to lost time, isolation due to nonacceptance or displacement from family, isolation due to not being fully included by or not fitting into a community, isolation due to prejudice and discrimination, isolation due to our own anger and fear.
Anger Management workshop--a harm reduction approach to creative ways of dealing with intense, negative emotion.
Fear Management (same).
Venting group--facillitated complaining. We'll take turns but we won't try to improve anything or help each other. But we won't be mean either.
Contentions group--More formulated complaining (post-venting). What complaining (post-venting) is true and possibly useful? In this group we can give each other feedback on letters we might send.
Dealing with Medication and Illness discussion and support group facilitated by some kind of medical provider.
Depression and emotional life with HIV support group.
Isolation discussion and support group—dealing with isolation due to concealment or revelation of HIV status, isolation due to physical and emotional challenges of HIV, isolation due to lost time, isolation due to nonacceptance or displacement from family, isolation due to not being fully included by or not fitting into a community, isolation due to prejudice and discrimination, isolation due to our own anger and fear.
Anger Management workshop--a harm reduction approach to creative ways of dealing with intense, negative emotion.
Fear Management (same).
Venting group--facillitated complaining. We'll take turns but we won't try to improve anything or help each other. But we won't be mean either.
Contentions group--More formulated complaining (post-venting). What complaining (post-venting) is true and possibly useful? In this group we can give each other feedback on letters we might send.
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