Sometimes a loved one’s addiction or negative behavior can get to a point where it drastically affects his or her life as well as the lives of friends and family members. As a family member or close friend, you may begin to feel hopeless, helpless, and unsure if things can ever change.
However, people do change and help is available. This change and help can be implemented by way of an intervention.
Should I have an intervention for my loved one?
If you’ve heard of interventions, you may think such action is only required for “really bad” scenarios, and you may wonder if your situation would qualify. Or, perhaps you simply wonder if your loved one will actually benefit from having an intervention and if it’s the right thing for you.
To learn if an intervention is something you should pursue, give our staff a call anytime during office hours for a free over-the-phone initial consultation.
What Is An Intervention?
As stated by one of the top rehabilitation programs in Utah
“Intervention is simply moving the precipitating event as to why someone comes to treatment forward.”
In other words, an event of some sort must usually take place in order for a person with harrowing addiction to be spurred to change. Instead of waiting for change to come by way of a catastrophic event, where your loved one “hits rock bottom,” an intervention can speed up the process and avoid such a tragedy from ever having to happen.
If you are waiting for your loved one to come to a realization on his or her own that change and help is needed, you could wait far too long or possibly forever. Unfortunately, it is during this waiting period when things spiral out of control and abuse, pain, and suffering get worse.
How Does An Intervention Work?
An interventionist provides a non-judgmental space, where true concerns and feelings can be shared. This type of framework comes highly recommended by professionals because the interventionist can facilitate discussion in a healthy way, benefiting both the person with addiction and his or her loved ones.
It is natural and common for family and close friends to be too close to the situation, to be completely objective. Often these types of exchanges can become heated or contentious. However, with an interventionist present, the right messages can be delivered the right away. Interventionists are trained to know when to interject conversation to steer it into the type of discussion where all feel safe, heard, and understood.
What Other Things Does An Interventionist Do?
Interventionists not only help families and friends have intimate, important conversations with a loved one they are concerned about but they also can recommend:
- rehab programs and facilities,
- suitable types of care,
- companion services,
- family therapy, and
- mental health placements
Additionally, interventionists are there to walk a family through an entire treatment program and monitor post-discharge care.
