What is an Interventionist?

Understanding the job of an interventionist is not something most people can easily grasp.  An intervention can bring with it, images of forcibly dragging a drug addict or alcoholic off to rehab against their will, but this is patently untrue.  The truth about an intervention is that it is a carefully planned event which is done out of love and concern by family and loved ones that wish to make a real difference in the life of someone suffering from substance abuse.  Being an interventionist is emotionally challenging and highly rewarding, because when an addict or alcoholic agrees to treatment, it can mean saving a life.

There are many ways in which to host an intervention, however, it is always done with respect, kindness, compassion and concern for the addicted person.  Most interventionists employ the invitational approach which means inviting the addict to come meet with the group in a safe, controlled environment, in order to discuss the person’s substance abuse issues.  However, other interventionists use a surprise method, which means the addict is in a sense lured to a certain location and confronted, albeit lovingly, by a group of loved ones and asked to get treatment.

When staging an intervention, each interventionist will have a different approach, but one commonality among all is for the entire group to be united and in agreement with what is going to happen.  If the intervention group cannot agree on things or has any reservations about the situation, it can be counterproductive to the goal of getting the person into treatment and make things uncertain.  An interventionist will speak to each person separately about the process and then address the group as a whole, so that everyone is in complete understanding and agrees with how it will be conducted.

There are certain distinct phases for an addiction intervention and instead of trying to accomplish getting the addict into treatment alone; it is a better idea for a family to have an interventionist facilitating the process.  An interventionist is trained and knowledgeable about how things flow within an intervention and will gather information and find out anything important which the family and loved ones may need to know. 

It is up to the interventionist to decide which approach would be best to use with a particular addict, some are responsive to the concept of an intervention, while others need to be unaware, lest it results in the person refusing to participate.  At the beginning, the intervention host will instruct the group to write heartfelt, honest letters to the addict, stating what they love about the person, how the substance abuse has changed them and what their life might be like without that individual.  The goal is to get the addict to realize the full capacity of pain and destruction the addiction has caused and to agree to go into treatment.

Before an intervention takes place, the group will have a meeting with the interventionist in a safe, private, quiet location.  It is important to realize there is only one chance to stage a successful intervention, so advanced planning is always a must.  Substance abuse is a family problem and staging an intervention is for the benefit of the addict and everyone affected by the addiction.  All too often, friends and family members of an addicted person will give them money or make excuses for the behavior exhibited, which is considered “care-taking.”  With an intervention, it is as much about taking back control of the situation and setting up safe boundaries and knowing it is okay to say no to the addict and refusing to be an enabler any longer.

The goal of an addiction intervention is to confront an addict in a loving and compassionate manner and to convince the person to agree to enroll in treatment immediately.  Assuming the addict agrees to seek treatment immediately after an intervention, the interventionist will accompany the person to the rehab facility and stay apprised of everything going on.  From the beginning to the end of treatment, an interventionist will be there providing guidance, wisdom and support to the addict that finally agrees to get the treatment needed to put an ending to substance abuse, and the person does not have to go through the situation alone.

Statistical information shows that one in three people in America are either living with a substance abuser or related to someone dealing with an addiction problem.  It does not matter if the person is dealing with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, what is important is to get the person into treatment and this is the goal of an interventionist.  When family and friends are seeking a way to help convince a loved one to get help for an addiction problem, seeking the services of a professional interventionist can be beneficial and worth trying, especially when everything else in the past has failed.