Lessons Learned: Perspectives of an HIV Counselor at the Berkeley Free Clinic

Abstract

“The test came back positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.†A statement that can be so massive, filling up the room, suffocating everyone in it. A statement that holds no meaning to someone else; a collection of empty words that disappear into thin air as soon as they are heard. A statement I shared with ten individuals during the time I worked at the Berkeley Free Clinic as a HIV counselor. The Berkeley Free Clinic has been providing patient-centered, accessible healthcare for close to 50 years. It is run by students, community volunteers, and physicians who believe health should be a basic human right and available to all communities.