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Tips for Hiring an Intervention Specialist

After a certain point, addicts lose the ability to see the negative effects of drugs in their lives and the lives of others. In many cases, staging a drug intervention may be the only way to open up the addict’s eyes to the problem of addiction.

Considering the potential for volatility and heated exchanges, hiring an intervention specialist can greatly increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. An intervention specialist coordinates the planning for an intervention and facilitates the actual meeting.

As intervention specialists can vary in training, experience and overall effectiveness, finding the right one will take a little research and legwork. Ultimately, finding the right intervention specialist is a matter of finding the one that’s best suited for your set of circumstances.

When Should You Hire an Intervention Specialist?

Addiction affects different people in different ways. Where one person may become defensive and confrontational when confronted about a drug problem, another might make light of or even dismiss the allegation.

Addiction can also take on various forms, with some people preferring a single drug of choice while others partake of several different types of drugs at once. The effects of addiction on the addict’s overall well being also has a bearing on whether an intervention specialist should be consulted.

According to the Mayo Clinic, circumstances that warrant the help of a specialist include –

Addicts with a history of violent behavior
Addicts with a history of suicidal behavior or those who talk of suicide
Someone who abuses two or more mood-altering drugs at a time
Someone who tends to minimize the seriousness of his or her drug problem
Someone with a history of mental illness

Any one of the above scenarios can make an intervention meeting that much more difficult to carry out, let alone steer towards a positive outcome.

Training & Experience

It is helpful to have an interventionist – a trained third party – guide your intervention so that it is effective.

Drug intervention specialists have undergone training that specifically deals with the types of circumstances that can arise during an intervention. While certain standardized protocols apply for most all interventions, such as ensuring each participant contributes to the meeting, specialized training will likely be needed in cases where the addict has a history of violence and/or mental health problems. For these reasons, it’s important to ask questions regarding a specialist’s experience in the field as well as what types of credentials he or she holds.

Individualized Planning

A drug intervention specialist must have a certain degree of finesse in terms of being able to keep a productive line of communication going throughout the meeting. When hiring a specialist, make sure individualized planning is a part of his or her overall approach to the process.

Drawing up an intervention strategy that best addresses the issues at hand becomes an essential step for carrying out an effective intervention. In order to do this, the specialist will interview each participant beforehand to get a grasp on the addict’s circumstances and the events that have transpired as a result of his or her drug use.

Overall, an intervention specialist should be able to give you an idea of what to expect and guide the process along from start to finish.

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