Psychotherapy research is needed to improve clinical practice for clients with HIV

This introductory article to the special issue on psychotherapy and HIV provides an overview of the state of HIV intervention research, recommendations for future psychotherapy practice, and an emphasis on how psychotherapy researchers focusing on HIV should move away from the typical public health model. We provide information about how historical bias impacts HIV clinical decision-making now. In addition, we include an analysis of how public health definitions of intervention research have limited psychotherapy research-specifically the importance of common factors and process-oriented components in psychotherapy. In this introductory article, we highlight the 13 articles that comprise the 5 following sections included in the special issue: (a) General Guidelines for Psychotherapy Practice for People With HIV, (b) HIV Stigma in Psychotherapy Process and Techniques, (c) Sexual Functioning and Romantic Relationships for People with HIV, (d) A Focus on Specific Disorders (Chronic Pain and Trauma) Comorbid With HIV, and (e) A Focus on Specific Populations (Adolescents and South African Populations). We conclude by offering recommendations to researchers to focus on the sociocultural context for clients with HIV and for psychotherapists to use an intersectional approach in their work with clients with HIV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).