Positive Steps, our weekly 12-step meeting for adults living with HIV/AIDS, has ended. There is no Monday meeting at Shanti and no replacement group on the calendar.
The reason people came to that room, though, has not gone anywhere. If you are living with HIV and working on recovery, or trying to start, Shanti Orange County still has real support for you. It just looks like a conversation rather than a circle of chairs.
Why HIV and Recovery Belong in the Same Conversation
Substance use and an HIV diagnosis feed each other in ways that generic recovery programs do not always account for:
- Adherence. Active use makes consistent medication harder, and a missed rhythm can undo months of stable labs.
- Shame stacks. Carrying a stigmatized diagnosis and a stigmatized struggle often means disclosing twice, or hiding both.
- Isolation. The relationships that recovery depends on are exactly the ones a diagnosis can strain.
- Grief. Long-term survivors are often carrying losses that predate the substance use by decades.
Working on one without acknowledging the other tends to stall. That is the gap Positive Steps filled, and it is the gap our counseling is built to hold now.
What Shanti Still Offers
| Service | What it does | How to start | |---------|--------------|--------------| | Individual counseling | One-on-one therapy covering substance use, depression, anxiety, trauma, and disclosure | Intake call | | HIV case management | Benefits, housing, and medical navigation, the practical load that destabilizes recovery | Intake call | | HIV therapy group | Clinician-led weekly group for adults living with HIV/AIDS | Intake required | | Círculo Latino | Spanish-language community circle, first Tuesday monthly | Open, just come |
Counseling is the closest replacement for what Positive Steps did. Our therapists work with addiction and relapse directly, and because this is an HIV-focused agency, you will not spend the first several sessions explaining your diagnosis.
Cost is rarely the barrier people expect: we accept many insurance plans, including CalOptima, for eligible services, and uninsured fees are $65 (unlicensed therapists) or $100 (licensed therapists).
If You Want a 12-Step Meeting
Peer meetings do something individual therapy cannot: the fellowship, the rhythm, the room full of people who have been where you are. Losing a regular meeting is a real disruption, and it is worth replacing.
AA and NA hold meetings throughout Orange County, including LGBTQ-friendly and HIV-aware groups. Our community resources page also lists local substance use treatment providers, including Straight Talk (714-828-2000).
If you are not sure where to start, call us. Helping you find the right meeting is something we are glad to do even if it happens somewhere other than our building.
Talk to Someone
Call (949) 452-0888 during business hours, or email [email protected]. You do not need to be an existing client, you do not need a referral, and you do not need to have your situation figured out before you call. That is what the conversation is for.
If this would be your first time at Shanti, see First visit for what to expect. Related reading: Peer support vs. therapy and HIV stigma and mental health.
What Currently Runs
Since programming changes, here is the accurate current picture. Shanti Orange County runs two recurring support groups:
- HIV therapy group. Clinician-led, weekly, arranged through intake. Low-cost fees start at $65. Because members attend consistently and come to know each other over time, the group becomes a therapeutic tool in its own right.
- Círculo Latino. First Tuesday of each month, 5:30 to 7 pm, entirely in Spanish. Free and open; no client relationship required.
Alongside those: individual, couples, group, and family counseling; psychological testing and evaluation for ages 6 and up; HIV case management; and community education.
If Substance Use Is Part of the Picture
Individual counseling at Shanti addresses substance use alongside anxiety, depression, and fear of disclosure. It is within scope for the counseling program.
What Shanti does not run is a 12-step meeting or a substance use treatment program. Those are separate services, and if that is what you need, our Orange County resource directory lists external clinics, psychiatry services, and national resources we refer to.
Being told which building handles your question is worth more than being kept in the wrong one.
Recovery and HIV Together
The reason these get discussed in the same breath is that they compound. Managing a chronic diagnosis while managing recovery means two sets of appointments, two sets of disclosures, and two sets of people who need to understand.
Practical support for that load is case management: connecting clients to medical and dental care, specialty pharmaceutical care, housing options, benefits counseling, emergency financial assistance, and nutrition support. It runs in parallel with whatever clinical work you are doing.
Why the Group Format Still Matters
Shared-diagnosis groups do something individual counseling structurally cannot. The understanding between people living with the same condition is not something a clinician can supply, however skilled. That is the argument for the weekly HIV therapy group even for people already in individual therapy.
Asking What Is Available Now
Group availability shifts. Rather than trusting any page, call 949-452-0888, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm PT, or email [email protected].
Our office in Laguna Hills is at 23461 South Pointe Dr., Suite 100, free parking on site. Telehealth counseling available throughout California. Staff work in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Hindi, and all services are LGBTQ-affirming.
In crisis, 988 is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
