Much has been addressed in the media and in print about interventions, as a way of helping loved ones get into a treatment. Little has been written about clinical interventions that are performed inside treatment centers with family members, the referring interventionists and primary counselors and the identified patient, resident loved one present. Most often this process centers on a loved one not accepting current treatment recommendations, which may include discussions about length of stay.
A scenario we often see is the client wanting to leave now and the treatment center recommending a longer stay. Bringing all together in a safe setting deflects triangulation and sets clear boundaries about what families are willing to do or not do to support their loved ones decision-making. In like manner, a clinical intervention with all members present can result in a client being invited to leave a treatment center for not following rules and regulations and the identified loved one learning they will have to experience the consequences of their behavior. Another very interesting variation on this is theme is this robust treatment team may be brought together to help the identified patient deal with another facet of his/her behavior that heretofore had not been addressed.
“Speaking as someone who has worked with Louise Stanger as a referent, I suggest listening to her. She is one of the few interventionists I’ll refer clients and families to because of her strict ethics and only interest being what is best for the IP and the family system. We have been working collaboratively and creatively on a case for over a year and the changes have been remarkable.”
Kelsey Huberty
Women’s Clinical Director
Northbound Treatment Center
For example, my team recently had a young man/woman who was about to celebrate a sobriety anniversary. This was the longest period of recovery they had and usually their downfall was an unhealthy attachment to a member of the opposite sex. The client was seeing against all against recommendations a newcomer. This is exactly the same behavior that repeatedly took the person back his/her addiction. The team gathered together to invite the person to look at this behavior and made a condition of their treatment seeing a professional who was skilled in love attachment and love avoidance. The client was given choices of which provider they could go to not whether they could go. The power of the group that spoke with the client in a compassionate, loving yet no-nonsense way was the catalyst for the client to do more work. The willingness of the treatment center to bring in all significant parties demonstrated their ethical commitment to the well-being and recovery of both client and family.
REVERSE INTERVENTIONS
Again when we think of interventions we conjure up a picture of families, business partners, colleagues and others inviting the person who experiences a mental health or substance abuse disorder to go to treatment. We rarely think of the person who is the midst of a crisis as asking their loved ones to send them to treatment. Such is the exact nature of a reverse intervention.
So often school social workers, counselors and other professionals are aware of the struggles that a young person faces and the young person wants help while parents priorities are getting into the best school. Hence the counselor with the help of the identified patient must intervene on the payor so they can get the help they need. Another example which we often see in centers as the patient knows that it is best for them to not return home rather stay in extended care where they are developing a robust support network. As a professional, I have been involved in many reverse interventions and in doing so, both the identified patient and family benefit from this experience.
ADDICTION PROFESSIONALS: What are your clinical and reverse intervention experiences?