California HIV Test Counseling Certification

We are the primary HIV counseling trainer and curriculum developer for the California State Office of AIDS, creating face-to-face and online certification and continuing education trainings for test counselors, outreach workers, and other health and social service providers.

Basic Counselor Skills Training (BCST) (Live)

This five-day certification course will prepare successful participants to become certified HIV/HCV test counselors in California. The course includes: fingerstick whole blood sample collection, administering the OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 and HCV antibody test, administering the Alere Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo Test, general principles of client centered counseling, exploring context and behavior change, tools of client centered counseling, HIV/HCV harm reduction, window period, PrEP and nPEP, as well as negative and preliminary positive results disclosure. The course also includes several opportunities to practice risk assessment sessions as well as results disclosures while having feedback provided for improving counseling skills in the future.

Length: 5 days, typically Monday - Friday. 12 Continuing Education Units are available.

Registration Information

For staff and volunteers at agencies that are funded by the OA Prevention Branch for HIV Targeted Testing, who wish to register participants for an existing training:

  1. You can view the list of available trainings and training dates, here.
  2. Be aware that each local health jurisdiction (LHJ) (typically the county) has a unique registration code. Contact your LHJ coordinator in order to be registered.

For staff and volunteers at agencies that are not funded by the OA Prevention Branch for Targeted Testing, who wish to register participants for an existing training:

  1. You can view the list of available trainings and training dates here.
  2. Take note of the trainings that you would like to attend and the dates they begin.
  3. Check back 7 days before the beginning of a training to determine if there are unused spaces in that training. These are the spaces that non-funded agencies can use.
  4. As you mouse over each training, if space is still available, you will have the option to register or add your name to the waitlist.
  5. As you register, you will be asked for a “Registration Code.” This code is: “OVNFJ101” (Letter O, V, N, F, J, 1, zero, 1).

Agencies can also request a Fee For Service BCST for their staff. To request a training, click here