SOME OF THE IMPORTANT STEPS OF AN INTERVENTION
When a professional interventionist is working with a family, there are some steps that are vital to a successful process. Here are just a few:
1. Building a strong Intervention Team- The team normally consists of specific family members and/or friends who are committed to the process. These are loved ones who will work together and present a united front in order to deliver a strong message. A message that says, “we love you, we are here for you, we want change for our whole family, we will support your efforts to recover 100%, but we will no longer support your addiction.”
2. Treatment Planning- While preparing the family for the intervention, the Interventionist will be working on a treatment plan. This is done with the families input and with careful consideration of the families health insurance and finances. It is important to have a treatment plan in place so that when their loved one accepts help he/she can get right to work on their recovery.
3. Education: The family should learn about the nature of addiction, the nature of enabling and also on how to set healthy boundaries. It is very important to help the family have a better understanding of addiction. It is also very important to identify ways that they’ve utilized to try an address the problem that may not be working. Learning a new approach, perspective and way to communicate are key!
4. Letter writing: Letters are typically used during the actual intervention meeting. A template is provided to the family along with support and guidance, so that what is drafted will be impactful upon reading it to their loved one.
These are just four examples of some of the very important steps needed in order to conduct a successful intervention. It is always best for the family to hire a professional and not try doing this process on their own. They may only have one chance at doing it right.
