Engaging Women Living With HIV in Counseling and Research: Qualitative Findings From the Solution-Focused Wellness for HIV (SFWH) Intervention for Women

Abstract

Following a pilot test of the Solution-Focused Wellness for HIV (SFWH) Intervention for Women, we used qualitative research with (N = 14) participants to understand their experiences of a 6-week client-centered group counseling intervention. We analyzed focus group and interview data to determine intervention feasibility, acceptability, and participant experiences. Our findings included not being defined by HIV diagnosis, solution-finding skills gained from participating in the intervention, supportive aspects of being with other women living with HIV, progressing toward wellness goals, a safe place to openly express feelings, recommending the intervention to other women living with HIV, a positive response to the intervention, and improving access to the intervention. We recommend programmatic adaptations related to transportation and child care provision to improve intervention access that may benefit other health researchers in community-based settings.