An intervention can be a concerning and potentially difficult conquest to take on, and as a result of that the crisis and the substance abuse problem that hurts and damages the addict and the family will often go un-handled. Difficult or stressful as interventions appear to be, they do not have to be so. Interventions are only difficult and stressful when the members of the intervention do not follow the intervention model properly and do something else or make serious blunders of mistakes of some kind. Truthfully speaking, addiction intervention is actually quite manageable and do-able if taken on with the right mindset and with the right techniques.
Five Tips to Staging a Successful and Drama-Free Intervention
Listed below are some helpful tips and ideas on how to go about staging an intervention properly. These are general advises and thoughts on how better to make the intervention process go right:
Choose the Participants of the Intervention Carefully
Part of planning an intervention is of course choosing who should take part in it and who will be on the intervention team. It’s not a choice that one should take for granted at all. Because in an intervention the participants address the addicted individual face to face, make sure to only choose people who have a good position with the addict and who he or she cares about to some degree.
Plan the Meeting Topics in Advance: Set the Stage for the Intervention Early On
If you know what you’re going to talk about in advance of the intervention, there is a better chance for overall success. As you do your research on what to bring up and discuss in the actual intervention, take note of the items and crucial tidbits that you feel everyone should know about, and if you have any questions, make sure you get those answered in advance too. The idea is to do as much planning and preparations as is possible.
Highlight the Dos and Don’ts of an Intervention
It’s of the utmost important that everyone involved in the intervention be educated about intervention and know just what behaviors and mannerisms are to be expected at an intervention and which ones may derail the whole process and ruin it. Remember, this is a delicate situation and should be treated as such. Make it clear to everyone in the intervention how delicate the meeting will be. If anyone does not really feel that they are capable of maintaining certain emotional and behavioral boundaries at the intervention, they are welcome to excuse themselves and should feel no obligation to be present.
Allow Time for Discussion and Questions: Make Sure Everyone is Caught Up
For most people, taking part in a loved one’s intervention is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should only have to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. People may have questions about what to do. They may be nervous or worried and even afraid of it. They may simply want to talk about why they are there and what they think might be the response of the addicted loved one or family member. Whatever happens, make sure that each and every team member is totally briefed on exactly what his or her role is and what to do should the situation worsen or become more upsetting or risky.
Hire a Professional Family Mediator
One’s chances of having a successful intervention literally double when a professional interventionist is involved. These are persons who are very well trained on just how to go about handling the issues of intervention and addicted persons properly. With their help, monumental achievements can be made that couldn’t even be touched upon prior.
Staging an intervention is no easy task. There’s no doubt about that. It never has been an easy thing to do, but it is do-able and it is something that can be accomplished. Hundreds of thousands of interventions are performed successfully every year and, when the right techniques are applied, one can have a successful one for his or her family too.
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