About Intervention
Intervention is a process where friends, loved ones, or family members help to confront the addict or alcoholic with or without the help of a trained professional.
The goal of the process is that the identified patient decides to enter some type of treatment.
Those treatment options could include individual therapy, inpatient, outpatient, or even just going to support meetings at first.
Many Types of Interventions
There are many types of interventions. We can help you decide whether some sort of intervention may be helpful for your particular situation.
The TV show Intervention does excellent work showing us depictions of ideal interventions as well as interventions that are “train wrecks.” Watching some episodes of this show can give you ideas about what to do and what not to do. The show airs on the A&E (Arts and Entertainment) network and may also be available on other services.
Interventions have not been adequately researched at this time. Which means there is little research or data that supports the approach in a way where we can know for sure whether it works or whether it can in fact cause more harm to the people we care about. That said, some types of interventions can be extremely effective in some cases. Keep in mind that there are numerous ways of performing an intervention and there is no exact best way for any individual.
Involve a Treatment Professional
An important place to start this process is to consult a treatment professional such as a certified addiction counselor (CAC), licensed professional counselor (LPC), or a psychologist who specializes in this process in order to determine if the person in your life might be a good candidate.
While it is discouraging that there is little evidence to support the general effectiveness of interventions there is mounting evidence to suggest that family members and professionals can intervene in multiple ways.
One of the therapists at JFA can work with you to help coordinate all aspects of this process for your loved one. This will include the many aspects of recovery, such as:
- intervention
- treatment
- aftercare
- individual and group counseling
- referral to inpatient or intensive outpatient if necessary
- referral to a recovery house or sober living house
If this list seems daunting we want you to know that surprisingly, most interventions are less complicated and it can be as simple as figuring out the best way to approach the person you care about and begin a conversation about the role drugs, alcohol, or other addictive and compulsive behaviors may play in their life in such a way that they listen and that they become willing to come for help.
