The Adult Programme

adult programme

welcome

Body & Soul members are people living with HIV: being either HIV+ themselves or affected by HIV. Being “affected by HIV� means having a close family member or partner who is HIV+. Most members come to Body & Soul after being referred by healthcare providers, social workers, friends, other voluntary organisations or after finding us online.

o t w s o a H ter r s i e g b re mem a

The greatest single thing is finding peers, finding people you can relate to, and in a place that feels safe and optimistic.

Becoming a member of Body & Soul is free. You can either call us directly +44 (0)207 923 6880, email us on info@bodyandsoulcharity.org, or have a trusted person (such as a healthcare advisor or social worker) call us.

Once you have made that first contact, we will ask you a couple of short questions (which are confidential) and schedule a time for you to come into Body & Soul. Then, we will complete the registration process. If you have a child or children, we can also register them at this time.

The new-member registration lasts about 20 minutes. The registration process helps in several ways: it gives you information about Body & Soul and our programmes; it gives you a one-on-one time where you can

discuss any issues that are currently concerning you (such as immigration issues or problems with benefits) and it connects you to a peer mentor, who will help show you around. During registration, we will also go over the house rules, which all of our members have agreed to. These rules ensure everyone (including you) feels safe and that our environment is non judgemental and confidential.

Once registration is complete, you are a member of Body & Soul. You will be able to come into any of our Tuesday services; access our complementary therapies, legal support, and citizen’s advice bureau; and hopefully develop new friendships that travel with you on your own personal journey.

Our centre Our centre is a safe, understanding and optimistic place based in Clerkenwell, London. We are accessible by public transport, with Angel and Farringdon being the nearest tube stations. Please refer to the map on the contact page for further directions. the well-being floor Ever since we started Body & Soul way back when in 1996, our concern for overall wellness has always been at the heart of what we do. The well-being Centre on the 2nd Floor of the building is dedicated to doing this on a more one-to-one level. Here we can guide you through the library and provide you with up-to-date information on all aspects of managing HIV, including: – How to manage your treatment – Improving your immunity – HIV and Transmission – Pregnancy – Emotional health – Counselling – How to handle any treatment side effects Complementary therapies can help play an important part in your wellness too. We offer a range of therapies including; Holistic Massage, Reflexology, Hypnotherapy, and Yoga, all helping to boost the immune system and reduce stress levels. All of our therapists are fully qualified and fully insured volunteers.

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A complete approach At Body & Soul we treat each person as an individual and tailor our services to meet your unique practical, emotional and physical needs

Practical Support: Body & Soul benefits from a highly experienced team who can support individuals and families with a wide range of issues including welfare advice, benefits, housing issues, financial hardship, legal advice and knowing your rights. We can also advocate for you with external agencies (such as educational and social services) and make quality onward referrals for specialist support.

Areas that Body & Soul can provide practical support with include: written support: Body & Soul can advocate for you on a range of issues such as immigration, housing and education. casework: Body & Soul may be able to help with more complex and long term casework. This could include supporting parents, children and young people to work with social services;

helping those with leave to remain in the UK to understand the system and their entitlements; domestic violence issues; homelessness and housing issues. hardship grants: If members are going through a particularly difficult time financially Body & Soul may be able to apply for a small grant. citizens advice bureau: Camden CAB runs a fortnightly service at Body & Soul. The advisor is an HIV specialist and can offer advice and take on casework in areas such as benefits, housing, debt, and community care grants. legal clinic: This monthly service enables members of Body & Soul to gain free initial consultation on any issue that is of concern to them.

Lawyers from Hogan Lovells LLP and ITV are able to take on cases

themselves, act as advocates or refer people to other specialists. Members also gain assistance with accessing legal aid. Issues raised are diverse and include: family law (custody and access, adoption, child support), housing, immigration, medical negligence and discrimination. knowing your rights: A theme running through all the casework at Body & Soul includes providing members with the information and skills to enable you to assert your rights and recognize if you ever experience discrimination.

This could be in relation to:

Healthcare Social services Education services Employment With any other service provider Friends, family, partners and the wider community.

Central to our approach is the belief that our emotional and physical health is interconnected.

Both need care and attention to transform living with HIV.

Emotional Support:

Physical Support:

This is provided through many mechanisms; from informal one to one or group support, to a more structured approach including counselling, peer mentoring and group work.

Your physical health is addressed through workshops on nutrition, yoga, dance, relaxation and complementary therapies.

peer support is at the core of all of our programmes. From the minute you register at Body & Soul, you will be partnered with a peer mentor.

We believe in providing a space that enables growth and learning from one another. counselling in partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust is provided as part of the Tuesday evening adult programme. All counsellors are fully qualified, supervised and registered with the BACP (a professional body for counsellors). You can see the counsellor for an introductory session, which gives you a chance to meet them, and to get a sense of what counselling is before you make any commitment. If you would like to continue, we usually agree to meet for 12 weekly sessions, although sometimes that varies depending on your circumstances.

We refuse to let HIV decide who we are

The Tuesday Adult Support Group The Adult Support Group is on a Tuesday evening between 4.30 – 8.30pm.

During this time there is a chance to meet other members, share a hot nutritious meal and access the many workshops, courses and other therapeutic services available.

Workshops and courses cover a variety of topics, including: managing treatment; coping with stress; health and nutrition; and relationships.

Life Skills form a key element to the programmes and include: employability:

english classes:

Barriers to employment are overcome

We run courses for members who have

by providing tailored individual and group

English as a second language (ESOL).

sessions on job-search topics including:

Our facilitator is an experienced ESOL

internet job searches, writing effective

practitioner who is able to build on

cover letters and CVs, interviewing,

members’ existing knowledge and

application support, and career planning.

successfully work with people who have

As part of this process, we address

varying levels of English.

workplace issues for people living with HIV such as explaining job absences, gaps in employment, and disability.

personal development: We run regular courses and workshops focusing on self esteem and confidence

money management:

building. We work in partnership with

In partnership with experienced financial

individuals and organisations. Courses and

advisors, we run regular workshops on how

workshops enable people to find their own

to manage money. Sessions are guided

solutions and increase confidence and

by what group members need, including

awareness of their own skills.

topics such as basic budgeting, opening a bank account, repaying loans and savings.

ut o d n i F ur o t u o ab groups other

Body & Soul members are made up of all different ages, backgrounds and experiences. To ensure we meet these needs, we provide dedicated space for the following groups: parents of positive children group: This is a monthly group for parents whose children are living with HIV, facilitated by a member who has experience of caring for an HIV positive child. Members of the group benefit from being able to meet other parents who are in the same situation and share their practical and emotional experiences and strategies.

Topics have included issues with schooling and education- for example filling in medical forms and schools trips; disclosing a child’s status to school; children’s health; starting medication; disclosure and the psychological impact HIV has on children.

“I met another mother from the group who has since become such a support, she gives me confidence and advice about what she did when her daughter started medication. We get so much support from each other. The connection between us is very special and they are the only ones who know what I am going through” (Member who attended the Parents of Positive Children group)

age and gender-specific groups: Body & Soul has a life-course approach to member services and recognises that people need different things at different points of their lives. For this reason, we regularly run gender and age-specific workshops. The content of these workshops is determined and led by members, with relevant experts contributing to the work when appropriate.

There are several benefits to running smaller, specialised groups. Since some members do not feel comfortable disclosing private information around people who are significantly younger or older, this gives a safe forum to discuss sensitive topics. Similarly, for many members discussing issues such as sexuality or emotions in front of persons of different genders may be culturally inappropriate.

These small groups allow members to further explore specific issues and provide a unique small-group community environment.

One of the age-specific groups we run is young adults. This service is primarily for adults aged 20-28, and covers relevant topics such as sex and relationships, HIV treatment and health management, self-esteem and body image, and future-planning, including employment and education.

This service runs regularly and provides the crucial information needed for a successful transition into adulthood and adult services. We also run an older adults group, which deals with wellbeing-related issues that arise during the ageing process. bravehearts is a monthly group for couples who are currently in relationships, facilitated by a couple who are members of Body & Soul.

The purpose is to support both partners in the relationship, promote open communication and also raise awareness that relationships whether mixed status or not can work longterm.

Trust yourself, you know more than you think

Parenting It is difficult enough being a parent, always knowing what to do for the best It is difficult enough being a parent or carer; providing for your family and knowing what to do for the best. For families affected by HIV parenting often takes place under very difficult circumstances, which makes these choices and options even harder. Body & Soul offers support to parents/ carers to enable them to ensure their children have security and protection, firm guidance and access to learning opportunities. This includes peer support, disclosure support, practical help (with housing, benefits, and immigration issues), meeting emotional needs and skills courses. Our approach focuses on identifying the strengths in families which will promote affection, communication about HIV and the best outcomes for children’s futures.

Courses and workshops include the parenting skills course: This is a six week parenting skills course which covers topics such as discipline and boundaries, nutrition, being a single parent, creative play and money management. The course enables parents to support each other and share experiences while they learn.

We also run speakeasy: This is a course designed by the Family Planning Association (FPA) and run at Body & Soul. The course provides the opportunity for parents to gain the confidence, information and skills they need to talk to their children about sex and relationships.

During previous courses all participants reported at the end of the course that

they either agreed, or strongly agreed with the statement “I feel able to talk to my children openly about sex and relationships.� Many members at Body & Soul were born outside of the UK but are now bringing their children up in the UK which they feel is a very different cultural environment. The course provided a good opportunity for discussion of this and the role the parent can play in providing sex education.

Useful Information Here’s some other important things that are useful for you to know about the general running of Body & Soul. dinnertime: A hot nutritious meal is always on offer between 6 – 7pm during Tuesday night sessions. For those of you who are able to make a donation towards the cost of a meal, any contribution you feel you can make is very much appreciated. transport cover: If you would like to request transport cover, please call and speak to a member of staff. We can reimburse bus/tube fares for teenagers, asylum seekers and others on low incomes. There may be other exceptional circumstances that require taxis and these will be decided on a case-by-case basis. All members will be individually assessed for taxi priority through the following criteria: – If you’re unable to use public transport due to mobility or disability – Unaccompanied minors All members with children under 12 will be able to access transport support for homeward journeys.

condoms: We distribute free condoms for members. so what do you think? We respect and welcome any feedback on your time spent with us at Body & Soul. Only by knowing where we go right or wrong will we be able to provide you with the quality service that you deserve.

All reviews, thoughts and opinions are gladly welcomed. getting in touch: If you would like to find out more, have a chat over the phone, or come in and register, please give us a call.

t: +44(0)20 7923 6880,

Registered Charity No 1060062 and

email info@bodyandsoulcharity.org

Company Limited by Guarantee No 3245543.