How to Plan an Intervention

Interventions are an interruption to the destructive journey of a person struggling with addiction. They’re a chance to stop them on their current path and offer a safe and loving space where they can pursue hope instead.

If you’re looking to stage an intervention for a loved one, Feinberg Consulting can help. Our expert interventionists can support you to deliver a successful intervention that turns your and your loved one’s lives around.

What Is An Intervention?

An intervention is when a team of family members and/or close friends come together to ask someone to seek treatment for substance abuse or drug addiction. Interventions aim to help individuals and their loved ones who are suffering emotionally, physically, socially, or psychologically from a substance use disorder, behavioral addiction, or serious mental illness.

There’s no one set formula for the intervention process. Instead, our team of professionals applies their knowledge and insight to develop the intervention plan that best suits your needs.

How Can I Arrange an Intervention?

At Feinberg, we understand the stress, worry, and frustration that families living with addiction may experience. We’re here to guide you to remove some of the burden and make the journey to treatment and recovery as easy as possible.

You can arrange an intervention by contacting our team. We’ll begin with an intervention team meeting where all the individuals who wish to take part in the intervention come together with one of our specialists and develop a plan. Intervention teams consist of family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others who share the same hopes and vision for their loved one’s addiction recovery.

An intervention is a carefully planned process that takes place over time and is not necessarily a single event. Interventions can span several days or weeks, depending on the nature of each case.

What Does an Intervention Involve?

Every intervention is different, but they usually share some features. These include:

• a careful plan
• a cohesive vision
• an explanation of the effects of addiction on loved ones
• boundary setting

At Feinberg, we often encourage families to write an intervention letter to be read aloud to those in need of treatment, helping to convince them to say “yes”. We offer families a template that guides them to produce powerful, emotional, and honest letters that explain why treatment is essential for their loved one.

Why Is Seeking Addiction Treatment Important?

Interventions encourage addicted loved ones to attend addiction treatment programs at treatment centers or participate in recovery support groups. But why is professional addiction treatment so important?

The nature of drug or alcohol addiction makes it very hard for someone to overcome addiction by themselves. Addiction causes physical changes in the brain that produce strong urges (cravings) to seek and use a substance that are difficult to resist. These brain changes are long-lasting and can persist even after long periods of abstinence.

Addiction treatment addresses the underlying causes of addiction, teaching individuals the skills they need to manage cravings and stay sober. It can even go some way to reversing changes in the brain. Extensive scientific research has supported the development of a variety of treatment options that are proven to support addiction recovery. These include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Group programming
• Support groups
• Life skills
• Nutrition and sleep
• Trauma therapy
• Spirituality-based treatments
• Treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions alongside drug or alcohol abuse

Addiction recovery is a lifelong process that requires ongoing support. Feinberg offers comprehensive and effective recovery coaching and case management to guide you through the years ahead and connect you with the best facilities and programs for your needs. Our recovery coaches help clients to prepare for all aspects of sober life, including social, legal, and occupational concerns.

Other Kinds of Family Intervention

Family and friends can play a huge role in their loved one’s recovery journey by encouraging them to seek treatment. But their part doesn’t stop there. The family, often an individual’s strongest support system, can be a crucial part of their addiction treatment program and the rest of their recovery journey.

Family Therapy

Family therapy sessions are one of the main ways for loved ones to be involved in the treatment process. They serve dual aims:

• healing damaged relationships between family members
• helping the family support their loved one’s recovery journey

Addiction can take its toll on any family, causing dishonesty, secrecy, and conflict. Studies have found that relationships, where one partner has a substance use disorder, have higher rates of relationship dissatisfaction, instability, and verbal and physical aggression. A family therapist can provide an open and safe space to resolve conflict and heal from past mistakes.

Family therapists also work with loved ones to develop behaviors and practices that support addiction recovery. This involves identifying and avoiding enabling behaviors, such as making excuses for a loved one or financially sustaining them. It may also involve developing skills such as open communication which can decrease stress at home and reduce triggers for drug abuse.

Meta-analysis studies have found that family and couples therapy have consistently moderate and statistically significant effects in supporting long-term recovery.

Psychoeducation

Psychoeducation sessions for families aim to improve their understanding of the nature of addiction, its causes, and its treatment. In-depth and accurate knowledge of substance use disorders can help loved ones know how to interact with and support their family member.

Does Insurance Cover Treatment?

Many insurance companies offer some coverage for substance abuse and mental health treatment. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (2008) requires that insurance providers subject to the law offer the same coverage for mental disorders as they do for physical disorders.

Sorting out the finances of treatment can be complicated, but it shouldn’t be a barrier to treatment. Feinberg can take the matter into their hands, liaising with your insurance provider to determine their insurance coverage for each rehabilitation center and find the best solution for you.