Table 2.

Counseling’s Content from selected studies.

Author	Counseling’s content
Chung 2011	First session: explored personal barriers and taught participants about the HIV, treatment and adherence.
	Second session: Review of a participant’s understanding and readiness to begin therapy.
	Third session: Examine practical and personal issues that the participant may have encountered on ART.
Johnson 2011	Session 1: Life history and HIV treatment history, HIV and General strengths and stressors, positive affect.
	Session 2: Progress toward goal, Coping model and effectiveness training, Facilitated problem solving related to a medication stressor, exercise
	Session 3: Emotion vs. problem focused coping in HIV treatment, Social support skills, exercise
	Session 4: Identifying strengths and challenges in provider relationships, active listening and assertive communication, Facilitated problem solving related to communication with providers, exercise
Session 5: Cognitive traps in coping and adherence (self-sabotaging thoughts), Cognitive facilitators in coping and adherence (self-enhancing thoughts), Barriers to adherence, Identify what has changed, Problem solve a remaining adherence barrier, Discuss how to maintain momentum
Maduka 2012	Cognitive intervention: adherence management chart for each client.
	SMS reminders: adherence-related information and a reminder to take ART medications
Kalichman 2011	Adherence factors, behavioral skills, and affective support, medication-related beliefs and affective responses to medications can interfere with adherence.
DiIorio 2008	To help participants to understand medication and taking behaviors and the actions necessary to successfully maintain a high level of adherence.
	To encourage participants to identify and discuss barriers to adherence, to express and resolve ambivalence about taking medications and to support motivation to attain or maintain adherence.
	Participants discussed their medication-taking behaviors, benefits and barriers of taking medications, and ways to improve their adherence.
	After each medication was developed an action plan.
Goggin 2013	Techniques to increase motivation and confidence for change as well as the use of cognitive-behavioral approaches.
	To enhance knowledge and build skills for adherence: self-monitoring, problem solving, talking to your doctor.
Bruin 2010	Adherence concepts and correct misconceptions. Then, patients select a desired yet feasible adherence level using MEMSreports. In case suboptimal level, the reasons for and consequences thereof were discussed, with the objective to increase patient’s desired status. Patients’ own MEMS-reports were printed.
	The HIV-nurse and patient identified the causes of the non-adherent events visible in the MEMS-reports, its solutions.
	Finally, patients were asked about self-monitor their medication intake during the upcoming period to identify challenging situations, and give solutions. During the next intervention visit, patients’ difficulties and efforts were discussed, and new action plans are adapted.
Mugusi 2009	Causes of non-adherence in each individual patient.
Kurth 2014	Audio-narrated assessment, tailored feedback, skill-building videos, health plan, and printout.
	Information-motivation-behavior: ‘importance’ and confidence’ scales around ART use and transmission risk-reduction.
	Transtheoretical: stage of change questions around condoms.
	Social cognitive: role-modeling with peers demonstrating healthy behaviors in videos.
	Motivational interviewing: messages acknowledging ambivalence around behavior change and highlighting user’s commitment