Watching a person self-destruct can be very painful

When your family member, friend, or loved one is dealing with an addiction issue, whether it is a substance addiction problem, or other type of addiction (eating, gambling, pornography, etc., it may be time to consult with a licensed professional at family crisis intervention in order to seek out help for the suffering individual. Watching a person self-destruct by virtue of these can be very painful, and no matter what you do, sometimes it just isn’t enough. If an intervention is required, you might want to consider talking with one of our staff members to find out the best course of action.

never assume positive results during family crisis intervention

Never make the assumption that a single family intervention meeting will result positively. Sometimes, other sessions may be necessary and the skilled intervention specialist will know when this is the case. The bottom line is that they know that you have to expect the unexpected as well as negative results. It is just as foolish to believe that these negative results won’t occur.

The history of family crisis intervention

Vernon Johnson, an Episcopalian priest and recovering alcoholic, is considered to be the father of modern family crisis 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 family crisis intervention:

• Addictions to pornography
• Computer and/or video game addictions
• Gambling addictions
• Behavioral disorders

Johnson’s core beliefs about family crisis 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 family crisis 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.

When is a family crisis intervention necessary?

Determining whether or not you need to hire a intervention specialist depends on a number of aspects surrounding the addicted individual and their particular circumstances. Normally, you seek out their help when you are at your wit’s end for how to get the addicted individual into an alcohol or drug rehab program. No matter how you begged or pleaded the individual to get help, they have still resisted, so chances are, pursuing the use of a family crisis intervention may now be the proper course of action. Most professionals involved with alcohol and drug addiction will tell you that if you have already been thinking about contacting a family crisis intervention for help that it is time for you to do this. Most people do not typically ask themselves this question unless they feel that a problem exists. It’s fairly certain that if you are considering an intervention, that the person has already damaged themselves and suffered enough, as well as how those around them have suffered with their addiction. The bottom line is that most family members and friends tolerate the addiction far too long without taking steps to help the addicted individual. In the mean time, there is a good possibility that a variety of consequences are going to occur. These could be:

• bad financial decisions
• failed relationships
• irresponsible behavior
• losing one job after another
• numerous DUI’s

Sometimes, family members and friends will attempt conducting these intervention sessions without the help of a professional. However, by the time that these people attempt this, it is too late and an intervention specialist needs to be enlisted in order to help the addicted individual. Additionally, the hiring of an intervention specialist brings with it the benefit of pre-intervention work which oftentimes ensures the best possible outcome.

How can a family crisis 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 family crisis 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 family crisis intervention and are involved with the individual in question.

choosing the right family crisis intervention

We know that choosing the right family crisis intervention to help you and the suffering individual is not always an easy task. There are a lot of choices out there and not every one of these will suit the needs of the individual in question. The important thing to realize is that an intervention conducted by a certified and trained professional is successful 96% of the time when it comes to getting the addicted individual to admitting to a problem and then doing something about it in order to help themselves. One of our trained professionals will be more than willing to answer any questions that you may have.