This article analyzes data from a research study conducted in 1998 at three Testing and Counseling Centers, in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology used was both quantitative and qualitative for data collection and analysis. The research team analyzed data from the files of cases assisted at the centers in 1997, including HIV seroprevalence, and two questionnaires that were applied in 1998, answered voluntarily by the clients. Among the conclusions we can emphasize: a) the need to promote the availability of these free and voluntary testing and counseling centers to segments of the population with less schooling and lower income levels, since a higher percentage of low income clients and with lower levels of education, were among clients with positive HIV tests results. In addition, other studies have pointed out that these clients are more vulnerable to other STD as well as HIV; b) the need to extend the experiences of the Testing and Counseling Centers to others public health services; c) to indicate that the counseling practices must consider individual and collective risks to STD and HIV, including cultural differences between genders and the many possible ways of relationships that cannot be normalized by general orientations.
Counseling; HIV testing; Vulnerability
