Four Parts of an Intervention
The intervention process contains much more than getting the client into treatment. At HST, there are four parts of an intervention: Assessment, Intervention, Treatment and Post-intervention Review. Each of these parts is as important as the others.
Assessment of the situation:
- The gathering of information: Who will be be involved on the intervention team with the HEALing Interventionist? Who is the financially responsible member? Is insurance available? Which treatment center is appropriate, etc…
- Availability of team members, and where to meet for the pre-intervention meeting, and most important, it is vital that WORD DOES NOT LEAK OUT to the person being intervened on, if we are doing the surprise approach. For obvious reasons, it is not appropriate to apprise the individual of the nature of the gathering of family and friends beforehand.
- I will ask the team to write letters to person receiving the intervention, stating what they love about that person,what that person has done that they don’t like while using, what they miss about that person, and what their lives would be like without that person (tough love). This is handled differently for a Corporation Intervention.
- The group then picks a person from the team that is most likely to defuse a situation in which the loved one becomes angry or attempts to run. There is always one such member of the team that has a calming effect on the person being intervened on.
- Last, we decide on the order we will each speak. This is the practice just like any team we have to practice before.
The Intervention
First, we either have the person meet one of the team members somewhere safe and quiet, (usually someone’s home), or we go to the person’s home. I then introduce myself and ask that they please just “hear everyone out.” The process begins.
Remember, you only have one chance at this; however, there is no such thing as a failed intervention, even if the person refuses to go into a treatment center at that moment, he/she will often reflect on what’s been said and decide to enter treatment at a later time, but just as important, the friends and family get the opportunity to express their feelings, AND TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF HEALing. Remember, this is a family problem. The intervention is for everyone involved. Too often, family members and friends provide financial support to the addict. This is called enabling or “care taking”. There is a saying in Al-Anon, “You can love a person to death”. It is vital that the team set firm “boundaries” with the addict. This often can make the difference between whether or not the addict enters treatment.
Treatment
Assuming the person agrees to get help, we then get them on their way to a treatment center as soon as possible. I have seen, situations deteriorate if too much time goes by. If the person refuses to go, we must accept what seems like the unacceptable and finally let go.
Post Intervention Review
There is a post intervention meeting, so the team can decompress. Remember, Addiction interventions are very emotional processes that can leave the team feeling drained, or spent. Drug and alcohol addictions are a progressive disease and often results in death. The intervention is a final statement, or plea to the person in trouble to get some help. It is very important that the Interventionist’s Team work together, with the goal being; TO TRY AND GET THE ADDICT INTO TREATMENT, AS WELL AS HELPING THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS START THEIR OWN HEALing PROCESS.
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