5 Things a Professional Interventionist Can Do
There are many different models of intervention that can be used. Every professional interventionist can approach it differently. In addition, we have put together five things a professional interventionist can do prior to an intervention to have the process go smoothly.
1) Assess the Situation
From the time of the first call, the interventionist should gather information from the caller. Usually the caller is a family member or close friend of the addicted person. The goal of the professional interventionist is to gather as much information from the caller’s perspective of the specific crisis; however, the caller may not know the extent of the addicted person’s substance abuse and/or the situation in it’s entirety.
2) The More… The Better
The family is the key to a successful professional intervention. Because the more people you have to participate in the intervention then the more leverage you may have. This means that you will have more motivation for the addicted person to start their path to recovery. On the first call, get all contact information of other family members or friends who may be willing to participate. This will help the interventionist to get an understanding of each of the family members’ roles to the addicted person. This will play a huge role in how the intervention will turn out. In doing so, the professional interventionist will learn how to incorporate a family plan for each person to work on their own path to recovery.
3) Information for the Genogram
There are a lot of different examples of how to utilize a genogram. The more practice a professional interventionist has with these the more it’ll make sense and will develop their own practice of it. The point of the genogram PRIOR to the professional intervention is to show the interventionist the breakdown of the family system. How the family has operated for generations and how each family’s experience has molded the family. As the interventionist works with the family, they can see how mental health, trauma, abuse, and addictions has affected the family. Each person of the family has a role to play. This breakdown can help the professional interventionist to understand and be better equipped to handle the situation they are going to be walking into.
4) Family Prepares Letters
The family will need to have letters prepared prior to the intervention. There are many different models and forms of letters that can be obtained through many different styles of professional interventions. The model that we, at Boyce Family Recovery Solutions, use is the “Love First Model” draft of the letters. Each interventionist can use whichever model that will best suit that family system. Each family is different and knowing the different forms of letters to each intervention model, the more effective the professional interventionist can be.
5) Prepare for Pre-Intervention
In order to prepare for the pre-intervention, the interventionist will want to make sure those who all will be participating in the intervention will attend the pre-intervention. After doing so, schedule a time with the family prior to the intervention. The goal of the pre-intervention is to help the family have a full understanding of what the goal of the professional intervention will be. The professional interventionist can now create a plan of how to intervene on the situation.
At Boyce Family Recovery Solutions, we utilize this approach. It helps us better understand the family dynamic and help us determine a family recovery plan as well. The family is a key role in the intervention. The key to a successful intervention, is to help the family get on to their own path to recovery.