Assessment Intervention

When you begin searching for assessment intervention, there are obviously some things that you want to consider before making your final decision. Most importantly, you want to find a professional who is not only certified and qualified to conduct an intervention, but that best serves the needs of the addicted individual. Consider investigating a number of assessment intervention before you make your decision to hire one in order to make sure that the addicted individual benefits the most from their assistance.

the overall goal of assessment intervention

It is important to realize first and foremost that the overall goal of conducting any type of assessment intervention is the confronting of the addicted individual in a manner that is non-threatening and allows or enables them to see that their behavior is self-destructive. Additionally, the secondary goal is that the addicted individual needs to see how destructive their behavior is to family members, friends, and even their fellow employees. The ultimate goal of the assessment intervention is that the individual accepts the fact that he or she does have a problem and that they need to seek help immediately.

The harsh reality about assessment intervention

The harsh reality is that assessment intervention (and other types of intervention) have become a necessary facet in today’s society. The mass availability of alcohol and drugs has not only made this an economic endeavor for distributors and traffickers of these substances, it has also mandated the necessity of more rehab programs being developed and more interventions conducted in order to get the addicted individual cured of what they are addicted to and suffering with.

Team member requirements to consider

There are certain goals that the team members involved in assessment intervention need to be aware of, but the foremost consideration is the fact that they need to know how to tell the addicted individual how their self-destructive behavior has affected them personally. And they need to do this calmly, kindly, and with love if they have any hope of reasoning with the individual.

How can a assessment intervention help?

An intervention specialist is usually a licensed psychologist or therapist who is trained in dealing with alcohol or drug addiction. They must possess the skills necessary in order to conduct and supervise the assessment intervention in a disciplined and orderly fashion. At the same time, they have to rely on family members, friends, loved ones, and even fellow employees to assist them during the assessment intervention and are involved with the individual in question.

The history of assessment intervention

Vernon Johnson, an Episcopalian priest and recovering alcoholic, is considered to be the father of modern assessment intervention. Johnson wound up devoting his life to alcohol addiction treatment and recovery. From his work, further fine-tuning of the intervention process was done to accommodate a variety of addictions besides alcohol and drugs. Some other addictions that may require a assessment intervention:
  • Addictions to pornography
  • Computer and/or video game addictions
  • Gambling addictions
  • Behavioral disorders
Johnson’s core beliefs about assessment intervention was being able to reach out to the addicted individual before he or she hit rock bottom therefore preventing their lives from literally being torn to shreds. He began conducting what he called “interventions” in his church as of 1962. These were informal meetings which involved the addicted individual’s family, friends, and even their fellow co-workers. They all met together in order to talk to the individual regarding their concerns about their alcohol (or drug) addiction, self-destructive behavior, and the damage it was causing the other individuals participating in the assessment intervention, hence the birth of the terminology “family intervention.” As a result of being a priest and the fact that these interventions produced positive results, Johnson created a network which saw his program spread throughout the Midwest and eventually the entire US.