FAMILY INTERVENTIONS FOR ADDICTION

Addiction is a frustrating and deadly disease.  It is in the news daily and is ever present in our country, community, work and families. Family involvement in a loved one’s addiction can be a predictor of success and research increasingly shows that family or supportive others getting involved in the process of getting someone help and staying involved can make a positive difference in one’s getting and staying in recovery. Additionally, family members and supportive others can get their own help and learn to cope with another’s addiction and the toll it takes.  Intervention is not a confrontation.  It is a lovingly crafted and conducted invitation for your loved one to get help and stay connected to health, life and relationships that are or once were dear to them and you.

Family interventions are conducted and facilitated by me with key members of a person’s group of chosen family, family, friends, colleagues or whoever may feel concerned enough to address the issue and ask their loved one to get treatment. In conducting an intervention, I follow the Johnson model, which is designed to invite the addicted loved one to get help and complete treatment so that they can be better connected to their lives and those they love.

Intervention is a three-part process:

  • Consultation: A concerned person’s consultation is conducted after you initially contact me and in that session, others who may want to engage in the intervention meet together with me for a 1 ½ hour-2 hour session to assess the situation, gather information about your loved one and finalize who will be involved going forward. Typically, 5-7 people can be involved in this and future sessions, but this is as a general rule.

  • Planning: Typically, I will conduct 2-3 2-hour planning sessions and one final wrap-up and preparation session lasting 2-3 hours the day before the intervention with the persons involved in the intervention. We will discuss the philosophy, approach and tools used to conduct the intervention, the time and place for the intervention, financial considerations, logistics for treatment including travel, treatment setting and who will be involved in the actual intervention. Additionally, we will discuss aftercare for your loved one and how you can receive support while they are away and afterward.

  • Intervention Session: I will facilitate the intervention with the concerned persons involved and your loved one that we are inviting to treatment at a time and place designated during the planning sessions. This may be in my office or at a home that is convenient where we know your loved one can safely and lovingly be addressed.

What to expect during the process and beyond:

During the planning and intervention session and after your loved one goes to treatment, I will be available by phone, text and email within reason and I will let you know when and if I can consult when you reach out.  I will conduct family sessions for you at my regular private pay rate while your loved one is in treatment and can conduct a pre-discharge session for you to explore what to expect when you loved one reenters their daily life. We can and should schedule other sessions for all concerned persons to focus on readjustment, self-care and relational issues as well.

Please call for more information and a brief phone consultation at (502)644-8590.