The Risk of AIDS and the Defense of Disavowal: Dilemmas for the College Psychotherapist

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 268 - 273
• Main Author: Widen, Helen A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.1987
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - psychology; Adult; AIDS/HIV; Chicago; Female; Health Education; Homosexuality; Humans; Male; Psychotherapy; Student Health Services; Chicago
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.1987.9939643

The 1985-86 academic year was the year of the ACHA Task Force on AIDS, and it also was the first year in which the Northwestern University mental health staff conducted psychotherapy with students wherein AIDS was an issue. We might consider this a "baseline year." In order to document the first step along what is certain to become a long road ahead, the author reviews the 21 out of 800 cases where the issue of AIDS was discussed, even minimally. Seven cases were summarized to illustrate the spectrum of AIDS concerns and therapist interventions. The review of cases revealed a tendency to split the knowledge of risk from the apprehension of the meaning and emotional significance of one's behavior. This disavowal tended to occur in therapists also. The psychological, medical, and psychiatric literature on AIDS was reviewed in order to provide a context for the case review. The author examines some of the psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational issues faced by therapists in their work with students during this developing epidemic and the concomitant consciousness raising that is occurring.