What is an intervention?
“Intervention is a respectful and sensitive approach of engaging, not confronting, people that suffer from alcoholism and other addictive behaviors into a recovery process. Concurrently, an appropriate strategy is also developed to help the family, friends and workplace individuals who may have been affected by this imposing and often devastating disease ."
Ron Armstrong
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Intervention is also;
• Most effective when facilitated by a trained third party.
• Only the beginning of an ongoing recovery experience.
• A catalyst of healing for family and workplace systems.
• “The bottom” creating experience necessary for many identified patients (and others) to see what’s happening around them.
• A prevention effort. It’s not necessary for a person's life circumstances to become worse before they can receive help.
• The process to improving a company’s bottom line.
• Presented in different ways (ie: immediate vs. over time. Read Monitoring at http://www.recoverymonitor.com/rssmodel.html).
ORGANIZING AN INTERVENTION
• The process of organizing an intervention entails carefully detailed planning. Note: Be prepared for the potential unexpected change of plans.
• Determination of an appropriate treatment provider based on an assessment of clinical needs and financial resources of the identified patient, family or organization.
• Provide financial information and make advanced reservation at the chosen treatment facility so an admission is possible on the day of the intervention.
• Provide history to treatment provider and have appropriate releases prepared for signature by client upon admission.
• Carefully identify who will make up the “intervention team”. Note: Often times it is determined certain individuals may not be appropriate for the process and could even potentially sabotage the event.
• Identify locations for pre-intervention and intervention meetings. Note: The intervention itself typically takes place in the home of the identified patient where it is usually the safest and most engaging environment for the “identified patient”.
• As needed, travel arrangements are made in advance for the patient to travel the day of the intervention to the treatment center. Note: Any down time from the moment there is an agreement to receive treatment and actually walking through the doors of the facility adds risk and is time for a possible change of heart by the identified patient. Pack a bag in advance whenever possible.
THE PRE-INTERVENTION MEETING
• Usually scheduled the day before the Intervention.
• Lasts approximately two to three hours long.
• Discuss history, symptoms, progression of disease and enabling behavior.
• Develop presentation and discuss written materials.
• Overview of intervention and dress rehearsal.
• Answer questions on treatment and recovery.
• Final review of participants, for possible removal.
THE INTERVENTION MEETING
• Typically facilitated early in the morning, lasting on average 1-11/2 hours.
• Upon first interface with the Identified Patient, the Interventionist quickly establishes control by introducing self, explaines purpose and sets respectful tone for meeting.
• Interventionist guides intervention team, keeping them focused and on task while making their presentation.
• Interventionist facilitates from beginning to end.
• Interventionist presents treatment solution.
• Interventionist answers questions and or objections raised.
POST INTERVENTION
• Interventionist provides treatment staff with notes and worksheets completed by participants. Note: They create a collective perspective of the identified patient, which offers a valuable assessment tool for the treatment provider’s use.
• Follow-up with family or company immediately after admission.
• Check in with key individuals during the next week, or two, to help them stay involved and on track with the process they’ve just begun.
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For more information on how Armstrong Intervention Services can provide you or someone else with ongoing support beyond the primary treatment phase, click on the link below and read about The RSS Model (our subsidiary program for continuing care). NOTE: Please pay particular attention to the paragraph entitled MONITORING. While you are there we encourage you to download the hyperlink at the end of that paragraph to learn how (as an example) other methods of monitoring have benefited "the medical professionals" recovery process.
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