Support groups for people with AIDS have proliferated, but there hasn't been a handbook for AIDS group work for the mental health professional, until now. AIDS Trauma and Support Group Therapy by Martha Gabriel is the first book to offer practitioners and students in training the essential practice knowledge and theory about planning, forming and facilitating support groups for people living with AIDS/HIV.

Dr. Gabriel, a leading expert and former senior clinical group supervisor at Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, empowers clinicians to effectively harness the enormous resource of support groups for people with AIDS/HIV. By emphasizing the traumatic aspects of AIDS, the book provides a deep understanding of the psychological issues individuals with AIDS bring to the group. Gabriel introduces a new framework for understanding trauma along with rich practice examples from diverse PWA groups.

The reader learns how to deal effectively with issues unique to AIDS/HIV clients including social stigma, confidentiality and disclosure, rational suicide and suicidality related to psychiatric disturbance, dementia, and tuberculosis among group members. Dr. Gabriel addresses special considerations in group formation, issues for group therapists in the middle phase, crisis stages, and special termination issues.

The impact of multiple deaths on individual members, on the group-as-a-whole and on group facilitators is explored through case narratives and discussion. And Gabriel makes specific treatment suggestions to care for these caregivers - AIDS/HIV group practitioners - who may themselves experience the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress.

1. AIDS Trauma and Support Group Therapy: Mutual Aid, Empowerment, Connection is essential reading for a wide range of mental health professionals, including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, pastoral counselors, and a diverse group of paraprofessionals working with people with life threatening illness.