I absolutely love working as an intervention specialist. I am extremely fortunate to be able to work with families and addicts in an effort to provide guidance, relief and a solution for their respective suffering. It is extremely difficult and emotional work, but work that I treasure. There is , however, a part of the job that causes much grief. And that part occurs when I have to say “no”.

I receive many phone calls and emails in a typical week from family members and friends interested in organizing an intervention. If they are really serious about going forward with an intervention, we start talking about scheduling, reduce our conversation to a date and book the intervention accordingly. If at a later time, I receive a phone call from another family requesting an intervention that conflicts with a previously scheduled date, I can suggest booking the intervention before or after the conflicting date or refer them to another interventionist. My goal is to attempt to get them the help they so desperately need, whether it be with me or another qualified intervention specialist.

But what about the phone calls where in addition to a family member or friend suffering from addiction, they have the added problem of limited financial resources. Many times I receive calls where the family barely has enough money for treatment, let alone the price of an intervention. I have set up my fees at a point where I believe they are extremely affordable, but the fact of the matter is that not every family can afford the cost of treatment and intervention.

So what can I do? Do I take the case anyway on a pro bono (free) basis? Do I thank them for the call, decline the case and wish them the best of luck? What are their options?

Well, the truth of the matter is that I have taken intervention cases on a pro bono basis. The problem is that I have to keep in mind that although doing free interventions is a “feel good” thing to do, I have to be mindful that it is a business. I’m just like any other person out there in the world. I have expenses and mouths to feed. Having said that, it still breaks my heart when money becomes the key issue when it comes to deciding on going forward with an intervention.

In an effort to solve this problem I created a program where families have an option available to help them. I call it “Assisted Interventions” . This is essentially a service where families are provided a script and up to two hours of my time to perform the intervention on their own. I provide information including, but not limited to, treatment facility selection, what to say during the intervention, how to handle objections, risk factors and other information relative to the intervention process.

Clearly, the best option is to have a qualified intervention specialist organize and facilitate the intervention. If that is not possible, then at a minimum families should purchase some literature on the subject. Vernon Johnson has authored masterful work on interventions. Another book I highly recommend is Love First from Debra and Jeff Jay.

What I’ve created is an available option that falls between reading material and the hiring of a intervention specialist. One way of thinking about it is like this; There are a few ways to change a transmission on a ‘57 Chevy. You can hire a professional to do the job from start to finish. You can purchase some books on transmission repair and try it yourself. Or, you can read up on the process, receive consultation from a professional and try it yourself.

If you have any questions regarding the intervention process or asisted interventions, click here and I’ll be happy to help you.