What’s GPS?
Gay Poz Sex: Finding Your Own Way (GPS) is a new eight-week program at Positive Living BC, by and for gay and bisexual HIV-positive men. This peer-facilitated program is an opportunity for participants to look at ways of making changes in their sex lives. In many cases, participants leave the program feeling better about their overall sexual well-being.
Participants have an opportunity to get to know each other and become familiar with the GPS program. They discuss current information about sexual health and HIV transmission, including other sexually transmitted infections, strategies used by gay and bisexual men to promote sexual health, and the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure.
Facilitators help participants to identify their own sexual health goals using motivational interviewing, and support participants in developing strategies to help them achieve these goals.
Program history
GPS is part of a randomized control trial to test the efficacy of the program. Vancouver is the second site for the project, which originated in Toronto following a request from Ontario’s Poz Prevention Working Group.
Over time, the program has been tailored based on feedback from participants, the experiences of the facilitators, and ongoing research. In Toronto, the GPS program is based at Dr. Trevor Hart’s HIV Prevention Lab at Ryerson University, in partnership with the AIDS Committee of Toronto.
Help us recruit!
We are always looking for participants who are committed to attending all eight sessions, identify as gay or bisexual men, are living with HIV, and have recently engaged in condomless anal sex with another man in the last 2 months.
We are currently recruiting participants for a non-protocol group, prior to beginning the randomized control trial later this summer. Health care providers are encouraged to refer clients who may benefit from this program.
The peer facilitators, Michael Crate and Jonathan Postnikoff, are the first point of contact, and can be reached by email or phone at 604-240-7205. For promotional materials to display in your facility, please contact the research coordinator, Taylor Perry.
For more information
More information on the program is available on the Gay Poz Sex website.