What is a Family Intervention?

When people think of family interventions, they inevitably think of a confrontation between themselves and their addicted loved one. Some believe an intervention is only what they see on television. Most people do not understand that an intervention is a process. It is not a one time event. This process is ultimately used to help a family and their addicted loved one move towards change. 

Understanding the importance of a professional intervention and how they work is essential.

An intervention is a pre-planned strategy to calm a volatile situation and improve it. An intervention, by definition, is when specific methods are used to address particular problems or behaviors to achieve specific goals.

A professional family intervention is when an interventionist forms specific intervention strategies for and with the family of a substance user. The ultimate goal is to help the addicted loved one see the need for change and accept help by way of a predetermined treatment plan.

One of the most important roles of the interventionist is to identify problems and potential behaviors that may not be helping. The idea is to help the family see how their current strategies may actually be working against them and preventing the substance user from accepting help. 

Some of what interventionist will educate and coach the family on also includes:

• The addiction’s impact on the family as a whole and as individuals.
• An overview of addiction
• Codependency, enabling, and reactivity
• The importance of family recovery
• The benefits of long-term treatment

As the interventionist learns of the family dynamic and more about the behaviors of their addicted loved one, he or she will modify and customize the intervention process accordingly. Any new information obtained during the family preparation will be considered and more modifications may be made. The idea is being as prepared as possible in order to have the impact needed so that their loved accepts the help they so desperately need.

Finally, a well planned and effective intervention process helps to begin the healing process for the entire family and not just their addicted loved one. Everyone caught up in the destructive cycle of addiction deserves to recover and live happy and healthy lives. 

Helping families and their loved ones affected by alcohol and drug addiction.

We understand how addiction impacts families. 

Our services are geared to help families and their loved ones heal!