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Peer advocate at Christie’s Place makes a difference

Carol Garcia moved to San Diego when she retired in 2005. As an HIV-positive woman in a new city, Carol felt isolated. On the advice of her doctor, she visited Christie’s Place, a support center for families living with HIV/AIDS. There she found friendship, encouragement, and eventually, a new career as a peer advocate. Today Carol enjoys yoga, the practice of Qigong movement, and the company of her mother, sister, daughter, and friends. We asked Carol about her work as a peer advocate in an interview in September 2008.



I believe that you can
change things with your
positive attitude.

How did you become a peer advocate at Christie’s Place?

I started coming to support group meetings here and learned that there were other people in the same position I was in. Christie’s Place is a very non-threatening environment—it’s a house, a drop-in center where people feel free to come not only to get services but as a place of refuge where they can use the computer or the library or the kitchen, or just to enjoy each others’ company.

It gave me a lot of encouragement to be able to relate to other people; I learned how to find the humor in our situation—that people could laugh and go on and live normal lives. I became a volunteer and after about a year, the program manager at Christie’s Place invited me to attend the Lotus Project training, a week-long seminar in San Diego for peer advocacy. Not long after that, a position for a peer advocate opened up at Christie’s Place and they asked me if I would like to work part time. The training played a big part in my getting the job. I have been a peer advocate for almost two years now.

What did you learn at the Lotus Project seminar?

I learned so much from that experience, things that you have to be aware of when you’re dealing with people that I hadn’t even thought of. I learned to be aware of cultural differences and how those play a part in HIV, and how there are differences depending on a person’s background. I learned how to be an advocate for people with HIV. I learned to ask open-ended questions of clients. For example, if you ask “Does it make you feel bad when your family doesn’t accept you?” all you’ll get is “Yes,” but if you ask “How does that make you feel,” it opens up the dialogue.

I learned how to set boundaries with clients and that if something comes up that you feel uncomfortable with, you can always ask, because that’s how you learn. They also taught me the importance of networking; that was really helpful because in later trainings I’ve introduced myself to some very knowledgeable people who have always been very willing to help me out when I’ve had questions or issues that come up.

There were about 25 of us, all HIV positive women, so it was also a way to relate to other women.

What do you do as a peer advocate?

I work three days a week for a total of 16 hours. I spend a lot of time at the front desk, so I greet people as they come in. One thing I like to do is give everybody a smile and make sure they feel welcome here. A lot of times they are regular clients and they are coming in to use the computer or maybe just sit and talk to someone. If it’s a new person who wants to sign up as a client, I sit down with the person and determine what type of services they need—do they need case management, are they homeless, do they need some health counseling—basically, I try to understand what they hope to find at Christie’s Place, then point them in the right direction.

I also have specific clients that I’m assigned to. We cater to women and children and families, but we don’t turn anyone away, and we have a lot of male clients too, both gay and heterosexual. I have women who are my clients—some have children, some do not—and I also have some gay men. Sometimes we may ask to have a client assigned to us if we have a good rapport with that person. As a part-time employee, I carry a caseload of about 20 clients. We try to keep in touch with each client on at least a monthly basis.

It’s our choice to tell whether or not we’re positive, but I usually find if I say something like “ I know what it’s like to have a problem taking medication,” that puts clients at ease. They feel freer to talk to me and share things with me. It’s not just like I know all about HIV—although I do consider myself to be fairly well educated about it—but I can speak from my own experience, and I think in my particular job, that’s really helpful.

What are some of the challenges you face?

Just not letting things get to you, and trying to keep a positive attitude. You have to find a balance, because it is hard working in a service-oriented organization where you’re working with people who have a lot of problems.

Some people are definitely on a downward spiral. What you can do with those people is just listen to what they say. If they ask you for advice, you can always give the person your experience. Just speak from the heart and from your own experiences and that usually comes across as sincere.

My main way of unwinding and staying in balance is to do yoga and Qigong (a Chinese martial art similar to Tai Chi). I belong to a gym and I find that if I exercise, that makes me feel good about myself because I’m doing something for myself.

I also have a very supportive family. My family and those practices—yoga and Tai Chi, which keep you centered and calm—those are the things that really help me.

What do you like most about being a peer advocate?

The main thing I like about it is feeling like I’m making a difference. Even sometimes just a smile and a welcome word or two to someone can make a difference in their day. So I try to do that.

For example, there was a man who came in, a client of ours who was HIV positive. He was homeless, and he came in to Christie’s Place almost every day for a long time. He was trying to get a job and asked for help with copies and was working on his resume and made a lot of phone calls. He finally got a job and ended up being able to afford a place to live. He came up one day and said, “I want to thank you for helping me out and being patient with me. I was in here almost every day, but if I hadn’t been able to use the phone and use the computer and have access to finding employment, I wouldn’t have a job now or a place to live. So I’m really grateful for Christie’s Place.”

We were here for him and helped him in any way that we could. It worked out for him and he came back to us and let us know. That made me feel really good.

What strengths do you have that help you in your work?

I believe that everything happens for a reason and that you can change things with your positive attitude. It’s not always easy, and sometimes I’ll feel down and get a little depressed, but I bounce back pretty quickly because I’m able to focus on those things that have been important to me for many years now. I try as much as I can to advise people from my own experience how important it is to keep a positive attitude. Even when you’re down and out and feeling depressed, you can always counteract a negative thought with a positive one, and even if you don’t believe it, if you keep saying it, it actually becomes a reality over time. It’s just training yourself to focus on the positive.

I try to tell my clients “You’re not the only one who’s going through this, and you can still have a good life and a normal life. Just get on with your life; the HIV doesn’t have to be the main focus. “ That’s how I try to help people.