Addiction Counseling for Families: Ongoing Support Beyond the Intervention
Many families believe their support for their loved one with substance use disorder (SUD) ends after the initial intervention. However, to ensure successful outcomes, a long-term treatment plan and counseling for families are essential. I’m a firm believer in offering ongoing, expert support to help families navigate the recovery process with love, resilience, and hope.
Addiction Interventions Are Just the Beginning
Some think of interventions as a dramatic one-time event, but real recovery is a process. Substance use disorder intervention is a carefully planned process that initiates recovery. It generally involves the person with SUD, their family members, and the interventionist, who is typically a substance use disorder certified counselor (SUDCC), a healthcare provider, or other intervention professional.
While the intervention may help convince the person with SUD to accept treatment, the family’s role does not end there. Families can be a vital component of a successful recovery and may even help mitigate the chance of recurrence. I believe families should consider ongoing, long-term counseling so they’re equipped to help themselves and support their loved ones on their recovery journey.
Family Intervention: A Vital Role
Families need planning, follow-up, and guidance both before and after treatment. As a family member, you have likely been directly affected by your loved one’s substance use, which prompted your interest in having a conversation with them. However, approaching the subject can elicit a range of emotions, including anxiety and frustration, and it may also be stressful. This is why it is important to be strategic and have clear goals for the family intervention.
Choosing which family members will participate in the intervention, as well as their specific roles, is also important. Each family member has a unique relationship with their loved one who struggles with SUD, and this should be honored even before the initial conversation begins. Moreover, it is important to avoid including family members who have contentious relationships with the person with SUD or untreated substance use or mental health issues of their own.
While one intervention may be enough to motivate the person with SUD to seek treatment, it typically requires a series of meetings with the interventionist to achieve this objective. That’s why we call intervention a process, not a single event. The family must be clear about the long road to recovery at the onset to manage expectations, frustrations, and disappointments.
What a Professional Interventionist Really Does
You may have watched a movie or television show where a person with SUD has a dramatic and emotional intervention with their family. Often, in these depictions, the family sits and shares their experience as the interventionist interjects with professional jargon and motivational phrases. Ultimately, the individual accepts or refuses help, thereby concluding the intervention.
In reality, intervention is rarely this simple.
While there are flickers of truth to television depictions, there is much more to an intervention and the role of an interventionist.
An interventionist is a professional with years of experience providing the language, resources, strategies, and support necessary to foster a successful intervention.
Specifically, an interventionist can assist a family in the following ways:
- Educate the family about their loved one’s substance use disorder. We believe it is important to educate family members about the science of their loved one’s SUD, concurrent mental health issues, and the possible root cause(s) of their SUD. Knowing how their loved one’s SUD works clinically can foster understanding and clarity.
- Provide insight about the intervention process as well as each family member’s roles. We inform family members about what to expect at the intervention, the emotions that may arise, and the phases of an intervention. We prepare them for how to respond if their loved one denies treatment, help them rehearse and prepare for the intervention, and answer any other questions related to SUD, as well as the entire process.
- Provide ongoing support to the family that lasts beyond the initial intervention. Whether a person accepts or denies treatment, their family may need help determining the next steps. It is challenging to navigate the road to recovery without the help of an interventionist who can answer questions, provide resources, coordinate care, and support the entire family throughout the process.
In all, an interventionist plays a key role in the recovery process that goes well beyond being a motivational speaker. A skilled interventionist guides and directs the intervention and is often the bridge between active substance use and recovery.
Our Intervention Services
Brad and I (Jim) assess readiness, coordinate care, work with treatment centers, and support the whole family system. We understand that intervention is a long process that involves several moving parts to ensure success. We address these moving parts with our comprehensive services.
First, it is important to assess whether the person with SUD is ready and a good candidate for intervention. We often do this during the initial consultation with the family, asking questions that will help us collect essential information.
Even though the initial intervention begins the process, we collaborate with families to make a plan for treatment and recovery beyond acceptance or denial of treatment. This includes coordinating care and collaborating with high-quality, reputable treatment centers to determine the best course of treatment and its associated logistics.
As an addiction counselor, Brad will continue to support the entire family so they’re prepared for the sometimes overwhelming journey of SUD recovery.
When To Consider an Interventionist
It may be challenging to determine when to consider an interventionist if your loved one is struggling with SUD. Sometimes, those with SUD come to the decision to receive treatment themselves, but other times, they need help and support to begin the process.
In any case, SUD can put a considerable strain on families. If you are experiencing this stress, it may be time for an intervention.
Watching for these signs can help you decide if an intervention is necessary for your loved one:
- Early signs of crisis. If your loved one is showing signs that their SUD is causing severe issues in their life, it may be time for an intervention. Examples may include losing their job, having legal trouble, developing serious health issues, or using the substance in large quantities and for longer periods than intended, despite these negative events.
- Failed past treatment attempts. Sometimes, the person with SUD has sought treatment independently, but they were unsuccessful. If your loved one with SUD has had several failed attempts to recover from their SUD, it may be time for an intervention.
- Resistance to getting help. If you have consistently tried to help your loved one seek treatment but they still resist, it may be time for an intervention with a professional.
- Need for family alignment and expert coordination. When you discover you can no longer help your loved one alone and you need an expert and family to help you coordinate the process for treatment and support, it may be time to hold an intervention.
Beyond the Event: Ongoing Family Support
Without addiction counseling, many families aren’t ready for an intervention, as they can uncover unresolved issues, traumas, or extreme, antagonistic emotions from the person with SUD. Beyond the anxiety that comes with initiating the intervention is the stress associated with realizing that recovery is an ongoing process. This can deter families from seeking help if they’re not prepared for the realities of the long haul.
We’re committed to providing ongoing support to families so that they gain confidence in their abilities to navigate the recovery journey.
Ongoing support after the intervention may come in many forms. While some families and persons with SUD need help after discharge from a treatment facility, others may require support during recurrence. Contrary to popular belief, it is normal and often expected that a person in recovery may have a recurrence, but this does not mean that treatment has failed. Familial support increases the chances that the person with SUD remains sober.
We offer addiction counseling, coaching, and long-term treatment planning to help families through each step of the process. We understand that SUD can take an emotional and mental toll on families, and we’re here to help. While recovery can be rewarding for all involved, it often requires repairing relationships, improving communication in the family dynamic, and making adjustments to create a healthy home environment.
How Our Interventionists Work With Families
As a family member of a person with SUD, you deserve to understand both the nature of your loved one’s disorder and each phase of the intervention and recovery process.
Here’s a clear, step-by-step picture of your loved one’s journey, which includes:
- A clinically approved assessment
- Development of a treatment strategy
- Coordinating treatment
- Ongoing individual and familial support to foster long-term healing
We understand that each family is on a different path when it comes to their loved one’s SUD recovery. Because of this, we offer personalized care to each family, taking into account their unique needs, desires, and treatment goals. We’re part of a national network of providers and healthcare professionals, and we take pride in offering a professional, discreet, and confidential process for our clients.
We’re the bridge between crisis and recovery, and believe families need addiction recovery help just as those suffering from SUD. True recovery is a team effort that requires patience, understanding, love, support, education, and resources. This is why we also help address issues within the family, establish boundary-setting, teach conflict resolution, and help improve communication within the family long after the initial intervention.
Why Families Trust Brad and Jim
Brad and I have over 65 years of combined experience as certified professionals with a range of accolades and achievements. We have served on various boards, led specialized programs, and offered interventions nationwide.
We have supported entertainers, successful businesspeople, and everyday individuals who sought to transform their lives and create a healthier future. Relationships with top treatment providers mean our clients know they’re in capable hands, and their families know their loved ones are receiving quality care.
We respect our clients, which is why we maintain discretion during every engagement with them. We offer a truly family-centered service, as family support for addiction is crucial for the person in recovery to achieve their goals.
Once the treatment program ends and the person in recovery returns home, they should have an informed and supportive family waiting for them to help them on their journey.
We’re Ready To Support You
If you or your family is struggling with a loved one’s SUD, contact Brad and Jim to discuss your options. Even if you’re not ready for a formal intervention, we’re here to guide you and address any concerns you may have about SUD and recovery.
You can do this,
Jim
