Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services (CRCS)

CRCS is a client-centered HIV prevention intervention. It's fundamental goal is promoting the adoption and maintenance of HIV risk-reduction behaviors by clients with multiple, complex risk reduction needs. CRCS includes intensive, ongoing, and individualized risk reduction counseling, support and service brokerage.

Counseling & Testing

AIDS Project Hartford offers HIV testing services at various locations throughout greater Hartford. Individuals can receive a fingerstick or oral swab test. Preliminary results are delivered within 20 minutes. As part of the testing process, individuals are provided with basic HIV education and risk reduction information. Contact Sandra Damato at 860-951-4833 for an updated schedule of hours and locations or to set up an appointment.

Project Respect

RESPECT is an individual-level HIV prevention intervention that supports risk reduction behaviors. This is done by increasing each client's perception of his/her personal risks and by teaching incremental risk-reduction strategies. RESPECT includes one-on-one risk reduction counseling sessions.

During these sessions, the health educator works to increase the client's awareness of the circumstances, context and consequences of recent high-risk behaviors. RESPECT also addresses client barriers to risk reduction and strategizes with each client to overcome these barriers.

SISTA

SISTA is a group-level HIV prevention intervention aimed at reducing HIV sexual risk behavior among African American women. It consists of five two-hour sessions delivered by peer facilitators.

The sessions are gender and culturally relevant and include behavioral skills practice, group discussions, lectures, role play, a prevention video, and homework exercises. Session topics include Ethnic/Gender Pride; HIV/AIDS Education; Self Assertiveness Skills Training; Behavioral Skills Management; and Coping.

Street Smart

Street Smart is a multi-session group-level HIV prevention intervention. The target population of this intervention is homeless, transient and high-risk youth. The majority of the sessions address improving the participants' social skills, particularly assertiveness and coping, through exercises that teach them to identify their emotional and behavioral reactions and unrealistic expectations in situations with potential risk for HIV transmission.

The small group format permits collective support for safer behaviors and behavior change to be developed and mobilized. Information about HIV prevention may be conveyed through video clips and artwork where participants develop their own soap opera dramatizations, public service announcements, commercials, and rap songs about HIV prevention. In addition to the group sessions, private sessions with a health educator are included to give youth the opportunity to assess their own barriers to safer sex and discuss their dysfunctional attitudes and behavior patterns.