Our specialist AQS certified Advice Service is tiered and tailored for your circumstances.  Upon contacting us, a member of the Advice Team will guide you to help identify the challenges you may be facing and together we will develop a support plan.

We can help with:

Information, advice and support around HIV related issues including: Welfare benefit advice, basic housing issues, nutrition, immigration, employment issues referrals and we provide practical support to help you access health and other governmental and local authority services.

How we deliver the Advice Service:

Our skilled and experienced staff and volunteers are available by telephone, email or through face-to-face meetings. The service can be accessed at our Stepney Green Centre, or at our outreach venues in all East London HIV clinics.

Face-to-face meetings last approximately 1 hour and are by appointment only.

Outreach Advice Clinics

Our Information and Advice outreach sessions are based at all the east London clinics and provide convenience for who are not able to travel to our offices in Stepney Green.

Our outreach sessions are available at the following times and locations:

Graham Hayton, Royal London, Whitechapel E1 1BB
Appointments available Fridays

Greenway Centre, Newham Hospital Plaistow E13 8SL
Appointments available all day Thursdays

DOSH, Homerton Hospital, Homerton E9 6SR
Appointments available Fridays

Whipps Cross University Hospital, Leytonstone E11 1NR
Appointments available Wednesdays

Outpatients East, Barking Community Hospital, Barking IG11 9LX
Appointments available Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Our Counselling and Psychotherapy Service provides free and confidential one-to-one support.

What counselling can help with:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Recent diagnosis
• Disclosure
• Illness or disability
• Starting medication
• Stigma and Discrimination
• Disclosure
• Traumatic experiences
• Sexual assault
• Childhood experiences
• Identity
• Relationships
• Sex
• Sexuality
• Bereavement
• Loss
• Self confidence
• Low self esteem
• Changes and transitions

Aims of the Service

To provide confidential counselling, psychotherapeutic or psychological support to people affected by HIV who are experiencing problems related to stressful or traumatic life events. We aim to improve mental health and to support people in leading an independent life.

There’s more to us than just helping with your ‘day-to-day’ advice and support concerns. We can also help with a wider range of both practical and holistic services that can improve or positively contribute towards your overall wellbeing.

Most of our courses and activities are located at our main office in Stepney Green.

Health and Well being: Courses and Seminars

Our Health and Well-being courses range from the specific and practical, like smoking cessation, improving nutrition, and sleep hygiene to informative seminars and holistic therapies designed to improve knowledge and develop self-management skills that enhance your overall sense of wellbeing

Additional to the courses and seminars,  our Health and Well-being programme includes gym and fitness services,  Swedish body massage therapy, Yoga classes, Indian Head Massage, and 2 weekly meditation sessions.  The Positive Eats Internet Cafe is available to all service users, offering delicious and nutritious low cost lunches, as well as access to computer use and internet connection

Yoga:  Held here at Positive East every Tuesday at 15:00 and every Thursday evening from 17.30 to 19:00

Indian Head Massage:  Tuesday evenings – By appointment only

Swedish body massage: Monday appointments at 10:00, 11.15 and 13:15 – appointments through Reception or Andre Smith (020 7791 9333)

Mindfulness Meditation sessions: every Monday afternoon from 12.30 to 13:15 and every Wednesday afternoon from 14:00 to 14:45.

Positive East gym: Keep fit and get healthy! Open Monday to Saturday (excl public holidays), our popular gym is free to use and equipped with a range of up-to-date equipment suitable for beginners as well as the more experienced.

*Health & Safety policy requires that all first timers to the gym (no matter your level of experience) are required to complete a brief induction with Agusto, our qualified gym instructor who will show you how to safely and best use the equipment.

*Inductions are also free and can be booked through Reception

Positive Eats cafe: Peckish? Looking for a healthy but affordable meal?
Positive Eats, our cafe is open Tuesday to Friday (excl public holidays) from 1pm, offering nutritious meals at affordable prices.

So, if you’re in the area, why not pop in and try some delicious, healthy and freshly-made food today!

Computer and internet access is located on the first floor – next to the Positive Eats Cafe

… And there’s more …

• Need help with your English? Want to improve your writing and reading skills? Our ESOL course(English for Speakers of Other Languages) will help you improve your skills for work – for studies – for life
• Don’t forget about our support groups! We have a number of support groups, which not only give you an opportunity to get updates on the issues which affect you on a day-to-day basis and also meet up with friends and socialise.

For a complete listing of our monthly and ongoing courses please check our calendar of events and activities found here. The same information is also regularly emailed to all clients in the form of our Health & Wellbeing Newsletter

* If you are unable to receive email from Positive East, or have limited access to the Internet, you can pick up a printed copy of the Health & Well-being Newsletter from Reception

Learning to live with well HIV can sometimes be difficult, even overwhelming. But you don’t need to do it alone; we are here to support you.

No one can understand that better than someone who is also HIV positive – a peer mentor. They will help you to live well and give you the tools to be able to better manage your HIV. Our peer mentors are experts from experience and will provide you with a safe place where you can voice any concerns you have.

Peer Mentors can:

• Be a positive role model
• Listen to your concerns and understand them
• Help you to navigate the health care system
• Answer some of your questions
• Link you to resources in the community
• Share their own life experience of living with HIV
• Suggest ways to better manage some of the challenges that living with HIV can present

Experience of living with HIV? Be a peer supporter!

We run monthly training sessions for new peer support mentors.

As well as our general peer support activities, we are also seeking volunteer peer supporters for sessions in one of our East London Hospital clinics for one half day a week, and an IT-knowledgeable person to support out on Line Peer Support project.

If you would like more information about our Peer Support programme pleased contact Antonio.  Antonio.giacalone@positiveeast.org.uk or by calling 020 7791 9314.

The Re:Assure project is a dedicated project for refugee, asylum-seeking or migrant women who are living with HIV and who have experience traumatic events. The Re:Assure project supports women on their journey in overcoming traumatic experiences and consists of the following three components:

• The Self Expression, Sex & Relationships group – this group mainly focuses on relationships and helps to increase self esteem by improving women’s knowledge about various issues.
• The Tree of Life group – this group helps women to work through trauma by strengthening coping strategies & confidence, through sharing their stories and successes which then increases their ability to more effectively deal with past trauma.
• Individual psychology sessions – sessions to talk about various difficulties that may arise in a person’s life e.g. Anxiety, Depression, Low self-esteem, Recent diagnosis of HIV, Disclosing HIV status, Stigma, Trauma, Family difficulties, Relationship or sexual problems.