How to Hire Someone to Help With an Intervention

Stage an intervention to help your loved one get his life back.

When you have a friend or family member who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, it's natural to want to help that person find a way out of the addiction so he can live a happy and productive life. One way to get your loved one started in the right direction is to stage an intervention. Because intervention is such a complicated and emotionally draining process, many families opt to hire a professional interventionist to help them orchestrate the event and raise the chances of the intervention being a success.

Instructions

1. Look for an intervention professional in your area. You may be able to find one through your local phone book, or you can search for one who is certified by the Association of Intervention Specialists via their website. If there is a drug and alcohol treatment center close to where you live, you can also call to ask them to recommend an interventionist.

2. Choose one or more interventionists you're interested in speaking with and call them. Ask about their education and credentials, how they run an intervention and how much it will cost. You will also want to find out whether or not they have any previous clients you could contact as references. The interventionists you speak with may also have questions for you at this time, such as what substances your loved one is abusing, how long the problem has been going on and whether he has sought any treatment previously.

3. Call any references provided by the interventionists you've spoken with. Find out whether they were happy with their interventionist's performance and the outcome of the intervention itself. Feel free to ask any and all questions you may have.

4. Arrange an in-person meeting with the interventionist who feels like the best fit for your situation. The interventionist will want to gather additional information about your case and talk to you about who should be involved with the intervention and when and how it should occur.

5. Work with the interventionist on planning the intervention. This will likely involve a meeting with everyone who is planning to attend the intervention so that all participants can be briefed on what is going to happen and what their specific roles will be. If you discover during the course of this preparation that you are not entirely comfortable with the interventionist you've chosen, hire someone else instead. You will likely have to pay the first interventionist for the time he spent on your case, but don't worry about offending him. A professional will understand that it is extremely important that the family feel comfortable with the interventionist they've chosen in order for the event to go as well as possible.

References

• Addiction Intervention; How to Find an Intervention Professional; January 2011
• Orchid Recovery Center: How to Find a Professional Interventionist
• Addiction Intervention; When is it a Good Idea to Hire an Interventionist to Get Someone into Treatment?; September 2010

Resources

• Association of Intervention Specialists: Membership List