Welcome
Welcome to Living Sphere, the website where people living with the herpes virus gather to share information, resources, personal stories and experiences.
Living Sphere was created to provide a unique resource for not only people with Herpes, but also their partners and family, support group members and managers, counsellors and medical professionals.
Information
You will find detailed information on the Herpes virus on our information pages, including symptoms, statistics, medication options and alternative therapies. And you will find a wealth of other information throughout the site distributed in articles, stories and our advice column.
Support
Dear Jeannie – Jeannie May, the creator of Living Sphere, has been providing support via online forums, email, live chat and phone since 2002. See the ‘Dear Jeannie’ column for previously published questions and responses. To submit a request for advice to Jeannie, please use the contact form.
Peer Support - The Aussie H Mate Peer Support Program is a free support service for people living with herpes. AussieHMates are not professional counsellors and therefore cannot provide ‘professional help’ – they are all ‘living with herpes’ themselves and volunteer to provide ‘peer support’ or ‘mentoring’ on an individual basis via email, online forum, chat, or phone.
If you wish to request one2one support or have any questions about the program, please use the contact form, or you can phone the support line on 0414 074 874 (within Australia or +61 414 074 874 internationally).
Connecting
Forum – The forum page lists a selection of the best herpes support forums from around the world. Support forums can play an important role in assisting people to cope with having herpes as they provide a safe environment where people can explore their fears and emotional issues anonymously.
Community – The Living Sphere Community is a private social network which provides a multitude of opportunities for people to connect and interact online. Features include your own profile page and blog, photos and video sharing, forum, live chat, groups and event calendar.
Dating – The Living Sphere Dating website provides an opportunity to connect with like minded singles who are also living with the Herpes virus or another STI. That’s not to say that you should only date others with herpes, just that the option is there for those who prefer to date within the herpes community.
Real People, Real Stories
The real life stories are arguably the most important feature of the site. These stories are written by real people about their experiences dealing with having Herpes: the emotional ups and downs, the fears, the questions, the surprises, the challenges, the changes, the successes and the happy endings.
If you want to share your story on the site, please use the contact form to learn how.If you prefer to share your experiences anonymously, you can complete the Living With Herpes survey. Selections from the survey responses are published on the site (using your chosen pseudonym or anonymously).
Feedback
Please feel free to get in touch direct on any aspect of the site via our contact form to let us know what you think and what else you would like to see added to the site. Or add your comments directly in the comments section of the stories, articles, etc. that interest you.
