Intervention
If you care, is there really any other choice?

Caring Intervention - Guidelines

Interventions are difficult for most people. They generate anxiety and doubt. "Maybe I'm wrong", "He will hate me", "It's none of my business", "I'll get fired". These are normal reactions because there is a risk involved. The risk is your relationship with that person.

However, the risk of doing nothing is greater - to the troubled person; to yourself; and to the relationship. This is especially true with impairment. Putting your caring and concern into action through open and honest intervention is infinitely better than doing nothing.

Since interventions can generate strong emotion, it might help to write out the information from guidelines 4 and 5 below. Use this as a guide during the actual intervention. The person must see, hear and feel your genuine caring and concern.

Don't try to hide your feelings. They are neither right nor wrong. However, if you feel a lot of unresolved anger, intervention may not be appropriate since it could turn into an "attack".

Intervention guidelines

1. Know what you want to say; write it out if necessary.
   
   
2. Ask for a meeting, at an appropriate time and place.
   
   
3. Ask for (and make sure you get) a commitment to listen without responding until you have finished.
   
   
4. Express your caring.
   1. your feelings about the person (e.g. "love you", "like you a lot", "admire you")
   2. your feeling about your relationship (e.g. "value it", "very important to me", "treasured friendship")
      
      
5. Express your concerns about the person's behaviour over last 6 months to 1 year (the more recent the better).
   1. mention specific behaviours (e.g. smell of alcohol, throwing things, tremulous, missing a lot of work, drunk a lot)
   2. be specific in terms of how often, when, where and who was involved
   3. express your feelings about the behaviours (e.g. sad, embarrassed, scared, resentful, worried)
   4. explain the impact on your relationship (e.g. "ruin your health", "get in trouble with College", "injure a patient", "get fired")
      
      
6. Avoid judgments, criticisms and arguments.
   1. maintain your attitude of genuine caring
   2. the person must not feel attacked
      
      
7. Express a firm belief that the problem must be dealt with.
   1. professional help may be needed
   2. offer to find that help and take them there if necessary
      
      
8. Support and encourage.
   1. try to put yourself in their shoes
   2. let them know there is a solution if they're willing to do whatever is necessary
      
      
9. Don't get discouraged.
   1. you're unlikely to meet with immediate success
   2. the process has to begin somewhere
   3. repeat the steps or ask for help
      
      
10. Be firm - "tough love".
    1. particularly important in cases of impairment
    2. take a stance and be prepared to back it up (e.g. "if you don't get help with problems, I'm leaving/quitting, you're fired, I don't want to see you anymore, I'm not covering up anymore", etc.

See also Caring Intervention - Preparation

Our appreciation to Vernon Johnson, the pioneer of modern interventions, and to Derek Lacroix for this information.

Principles of Intervention

How you can help

Intervention and the Family

Intervention Preparation

Intervention Guidelines

Show you CARE:

Communicate
Confront the specific problems with the person. Discuss the facts and possible causes. Inquire about the possibility of alcohol and drug use as a cause. Discuss the stages of dependency and progressive and chronic nature of the disease.

Affirm
Express your concern and desire to help the person as long as she or he wants your help and is ready and willing to make a change. Listen to the individual's explanations, regardless of merit, and restate exactly what he or she has said in your own words.

Respond
Refocus on the problem at hand, the facts, outcomes and the possible consequences. Discuss the options along with the specific help, which you can provide.

Enact
With the person, determine a corrective course of action and assist them in following through. Do not give a mandate or a condition unless you intend to enforce it. Follow up with the person.