Helping HIV-positive persons to negotiate the disclosure process to partners, family members, and friends

For people who have been diagnosed with a chronic illness, one inevitable i ssue to be addressed is whether and how to share this information with othe rs. For persons who are HIV positive, disclosure presents an especially ard uous task. The purpose of this article is to offer a strategy to assist mar riage and family therapists in facilitating client disclosure of an HN-posi tive status to partners,family members, and friends. In addition, suggestio ns for setting the stage for disclosure to occur and recommendations for cl ient follow-up are proposed.