Services
James Shelton, Addiction Intervention Services
Basically, there are two therapeutic models of addiction interventions. One is known as the Johnson Model where the participants meet with the interventionist to prepare for the intervention without the knowledge of the addicted person until the actual intervention. The other is known as the Systemic Family Intervention where the addicted person is invited to participate in the education and preparation.
Both have advantages and disadvantages. The former has an element of surprise attack and the patient may feel more angry, resentful and ambushed.
The latter is more inclusive and respectful, but may allow for the person being intervened upon to escape or in some way sabotage the process. A professional, trained interventionist needs to make this determination.
A word of caution. Today, with alcohol and other drug addiction interventions being broadcast on television, participants often believe they do not need a trained person and they can do it for themselves. The danger in this is there may be one and only one opportunity to approach the sick person and get them to proper help. Untrained and unskilled participants do not want to blow this chance. Trained, credentialed professionals are capable of assessing the health and well being of the potential patient, dealing with their denial and resistance plus determining the treatment facility that will have the best out come for each person.
Interventions which have the most effective outcomes and result in the addicted person being willing to accept help are carefully thought out, planned and orchestrated by a trained clinician and interventionist. If a loved one has a broken bone, family members would take that person to a specialist in broken bones. If family members have a loved one with an addiction, they best seek guidance from a person educated, trained and skilled in treating addictions.
Family members and other significant people in an addicted person’s life get sucked into the addictive process. The addiction affects everyone in an addicted system. With the best of intentions and out of love, concern and not knowing what to do they end up prolonging but never preventing the addiction. How do family member do this? Primarily by enabling and rescuing.
What is enabling? Enabling is consistently doing for another person what they could and should be doing for themselves. Rescuing is not allowing the addicted person to experience the consequences of their addiction and actions. Without guidance and direction it is easy to keep repeating this pattern.
Much has been said about allowing a person to “hit bottom.” An addicted person is on an elevator going down to the basement. Sadly, riding on this elevator with them is the people who they love and who love them the most. We know that through education, treatment and help, everyone can get off on whatever floor they find themselves. Often, the family member needs to get off first. This can result in the addicted loved one following them into recovery.
If you are reading this, you must be interested in getting help for someone and/or yourself. THE WAY TO START THE PROCESS OF GETTING OFF THE ELEVATOR IS TO CONTACT JIM SHELTON AT 1-760-641-1502 TODAY!
THE PROCESS OF INTERVENTION
- It all starts with that phone call to me! I am not always available and may be away from the office doing a family intervention. If you leave a name and telephone number, I pledge I will return your call in less than 24 hours.
- During our initial phone conversation, we will discuss the circumstances necessitating an intervention. You can ask any questions of me. I will give you guidance and make suggestion as to the plan of action. We will discuss all aspects of intervention, including my fees.
- If we agree to move forward with the intervention, I will ask you for the names and how to contact those who will participate in the intervention. At this stage, I caution you to be very careful about whom you tell about the intervention. We need to make sure the people we tell will not sabotage the intervention by informing the addicted person.
- I will call the suggested participants to determine their willingness and appropriateness to participate.
- Once I have completed this phase, we will discuss the logistics such as when and where. We will also discuss the therapeutic model of intervention that will be most effective. All of my interventions are handled in a respectful, non-shaming or blaming manner. The approach I prefer is the Systemic Family Intervention. I feel this approach is the most respectful for everyone. Using this approach, the day before the meeting, a family member or myself will call the addicted person to inform them that addiction is a cause of concern and we will be meeting to be educated about addiction and would like for them to participate. We make clear that we will be meeting if they attend or don’t. We need to also assure them that this meeting is not to attack, hurt or criticize them in any manner.
- If there is a real concern and probability that the intervened upon person will run away or be hard to find, then we may need to use the Johnson Model of Intervention, which is to gather the participants prior to the actual intervention for education and then arrange an gathering place and time and have someone bring the person to that meeting.
- Why an intervention? The primary purpose of the intervention is to assist and encourage the addicted person to go to treatment. This is a life saving mission. It is not uncommon to be confronted with the addicted person’s denial and resistance. This is where you need a trained interventionist and clinician to deal with the denial, the resistance and help participants stay firm with their request for the addicted person to get help that day.
- Having been a professional in the treatment field for many years, I will assist family members select the treatment center where their patient will have the best chance of being successful in their recovery. Considerations concerning insurance coverage, financial and special needs of the patient will be discussed with family members. When a choice is made concerning addiction treatment providers I will reserve a bed and facilitate an easy admission.
It is vitally important that family members seek their own help by attending family program, preferably where the patient is in treatment. Having worked many years in a family program, I will assist and facilitate this for the family.
WHY AN INTERVENTION
Intervention is an act of love and compassion. It is a life saving mission, facilitated by skilled, trained professionals. It is never an opportunity to shame, blame or attack. Interventions are most successful when properly planned, participants prepared and rehearsed with a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of an intervention.
The first GOAL is to hold up a mirror for the addicted person to look into and see how others are seeing them. Addicted persons have blinders, impaired insight, great shame, faulty judgment, resistance and denial. A good definition of denial is: it is easy not to see that which we don’t want to believe. A qualified interventionist, who is also a credentialed and educated professional, has the job to lead participants through these potential land mines. The OBJECTIVE is to get the addicted person to seek treatment and help. Hopefully, the addicted person will go to treatment immediately. What ever happens, the seed will have been planted and often will bear fruit at a latter date.
The second GOAL is to assist loved ones, family members, friends or business associates find help for themselves. Addiction is progressive and is always getting stronger or worse over any period of time. It never just goes away! Loved ones learn to adapt to the addiction and begin to live by dysfunctional rules such as not talking about the problem, numbing their feelings and become distrustful. The OBJECTIVE for the family is to break through their own denial and bring about an awareness of how their lives are being affected. A trained, qualified addiction interventionist will help concerned others see that their good intentions of controlling, enabling, rescuing and their denial prolongs the addiction but never stops or cures it.
With these goals and objectives in mind, one pertinent statement can be made: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FAILED INTERVENTION!!!! There may not be the immediate results hoped for, but once the addiction has been exposed and talked about, there can never be the degree of denial that once existed. Once the addiction has been exposed, the addicted person can never again practice the addiction with the same comfort or with impunity. Concerned others learn that their recovery is not dependent on the addicted person. In recovery, everyone can get back his or her right of choice.
Please contact me at (760) 641-1502 for more information on addiction interventions and other services. Family interventions can be done nationwide.
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