Is It Time to Hire an Interventionist?

There is a step-by-step process on how to stage an intervention. Once you and your family decide to hire an interventionist, you will meet with them and discuss what to do.

Call us today if you need help staging an intervention. Our team of professionals is here to help you get the treatment you need. 

Gathering Information 

The duties of an interventionist start with having conversations with the individuals’ supporters. You are the ones who care most about your loved one’s well-being. The interventionist will ask questions about their behavior, attitude, and other general inquiries. These questions will start the assessment. Receiving this information allows the professional to prepare the family for the intervention and its possible outcomes. This time also allows you and your family to ask them questions, such as what kind of effect you can expect.

Form the Intervention Team 

The people present during the intervention are your ‘intervention team.’ These are people that the interventionist has approved. After talking with the family, the interventionist might suggest that specific people should not be present during the intervention. This means there is a possibility that it could be you.

You have to remember this is for your family member’s well-being. If you aren’t a good fit for the situation, try to remember there is something much higher at stake. Interventions are not a release valve for anger. Your feelings are valid, significantly, if this person hurt you or others, but the intervention’s point is to get them help, not shame them. This is important to realize.

Take Notes on What You Want to Say  

Now that there is a team, it is time to discuss what you want to talk through. The interventionist will supply a structured outline for you to share your concerns. If there are close friends of the individual who can be part of the team, this is excellent news. According to the Mayo Clinic, “nonfamily members of the team help keep the discussion focused on the facts of the problem and shared solutions rather than strong emotional responses.” Friends being present can sometimes provide an outside perspective, which is just as helpful. However, if you want to keep it more private with just family, that is acceptable.

Practicing the intervention before you have it is quite common, even recommended, due to the possibility of emotions running high during the day. This joins the intervention to have more structure and a clearer understanding of what will happen.

Specific examples of how substance abuse has changed the individual is a great place to start. This can include physical, financial, or emotional issues. Someone might discuss how the individual has hurt them emotionally due to the addiction. The interventionist will guide them on how to say this while still conveying loving care, concern, and hope for their recovery.  

Decide the Consequences 

It is a possibility the addict will not take the intervention well, which is an unfortunate outcome that you and your family should prepare for it. If the individual refuses to accept treatment and continues to abuse the substance, there will be consequences. Each team member, friends, or family needs to decide matters are moving forward for the individual’s actions.

For example, depending on the living situation, a consequence could be asking them to move out. It may seem harsh, but if the addiction has led to abusive behavior or violence, then it is necessary. You can’t control your loved one’s actions, but you can make them aware of what you will and will not tolerate. Either they have to leave as a consequence of their behavior, or you can leave. As much as it hurts, taking yourself away from this kind of environment comes down to self-preservation. Hopefully, it won’t come to this, but your interventionist will make sure these consequences are clear before the intervention.  

Have the Intervention 

Now it is time to hold the intervention with your loved one! You plan, you prepare, now you schedule a time and place. Unfortunately, you can’t tell your loved one exactly what is happening, because they might not show up if you warn them. You don’t have to lie either. Ensure it is a good time for them to meet and say it is a family gathering. However, you feel most comfortable moving forward, your interventionist will help you.

Once you are all present, the intervention begins. Remember that the goal is to show the individual that they are loved and cared for. As team members explain how they have been feeling, it is crucial to remember to be kind. The intervention can be highly emotional and has the “potential to cause anger, resentment, or a sense of betrayal,” according to the Mayo Clinic. The good news, though, is that your interventionist will have warned you about this and picked the team’s best people. It is now your job to keep calm. 

Thankfully, the interventionist will be present as an intermediary during the discussion. They are there as a host, referee, and medical adviser. The goal is that the intervention will function as a wake-up call for the individual to realize they have a problem and motivate them to defeat their addiction. 

The Outcome 

After the intervention, the best-case scenario is that your loved one gets help right away. The great news is, research has shown that up to 90% of interventions succeed and convince the addicted person to enter treatment. By putting in the time and effort to plan the intervention, you have now successfully helped start your loved one on the road to recovery. 

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, you can expect the treatment plans to be “person-centered and include strength-based approaches, drawing upon an individual’s resources, potential, and ability to recover, to keep the patient engaged in care.” Your loved one will be well taken care of.  

Depending on your loved one’s exact conditions, sometimes the interventionist can be the one that directly helps them. A treatment plan can be specifically tailored to the individual based on information gathered from the family. However, this will depend on many variables involving your loved one and the interventionist you hire. Call us today for more information, and more help.