We help families realize that the change that occurs from an intervention is much easier to manage than the current situation they face.

S.A.F.E.® Intervention & Family Recovery Program

Family First Intervention understands that the intended patient with substance use and/or mental disorder is not the only one struggling, given that the family goes through as much, if not more, heartache themselves. Through our S.A.F.E.® (Self-Awareness Family Education®) Intervention & Family Recovery Program, our mission is to provide psychoeducation, help, and closure to the family and direct them toward family recovery and resources. Somehow, many have been led to believe an intervention is an event in which a recovering person tells the family what not to do anymore and then talks their loved one into going to a treatment center. Although that is a part of an intervention, a professional intervention should be based on an understanding of addiction and mental health and its effect on family systems. A well-informed and educated family produces far better interventions and treatment outcomes than an isolated event that relies solely on a powerful speech.

The most humbling feedback we receive comes from the families we have assisted, in addition to comments from other professionals who help substance users, people with mental disorders, and their families. We provide these resources and psychoeducation because of their known effects on the intended patient and his or her family. Nothing is more reassuring than when a professional with 30 years of experience assures us that we provide more education and resources for a family than any other intervention company they have ever worked with. It is sad when a family tells us they hired interventionists who did little to help the family see things from a different perspective. This style of intervention is often the norm and helps us understand why many people often think of an intervention as an event they can do themselves. A professional intervention includes as much, if not more, help and education for the family than it does for the intended patient. If we do not help the family formulate a new perspective, their loved one will not see or feel the need to change.

Explanation of Self-Awareness Family Education

A family does not have “conscious” knowledge of their own character, as their knowledge has been replaced with the intended patient’s manipulations. If a family had “conscious” knowledge, they would not need our services. Families operate from a place of displaced emotions and believe their current “conscious” knowledge will be and can be an effective solution. The current “feelings, desires, and motives” are not anywhere near those of a conscious person. The family’s feelings are riddled with codependency and maladaptive thought; the family’s desires are not to get the person better; they are to keep the person unwell to continue the action out of their maladaptive family role that they believe is a “conscious” idea. The family’s motives are to balance out the dysfunctional family system, not to address and correct it. Families operate this way without any ill-will intent or malice; it happens to all families when a loved one or someone close is struggling with addiction and mental health. We help you reset, reboot, and restart; you get a do-over. 

To say someone is currently addicted to substances, diagnosed with mental disorders, or any family affected by either is conscious would be completely incorrect. To put it bluntly, families are the opposite of consciousness, which would be insanity. The definition of insanity is extreme foolishness or irrationality. The definition of irrational is “not logical or reasonable.” The definition of conscious is “aware of and responding to one’s surroundings.” When someone is irrational or insane, they are unable to be aware of making rational conscious decisions.

Our  S.A.F.E.® (Self-Awareness Family Education®) Intervention & Family Recovery Program educates families to move from a flooded state and distorted state, which they believe is a “conscious” state, to a healthy rational state, which then would fit the textbook definition of “conscious.” The change will help them see that their “feelings, motives, and desires” were completely irrational and insane and were performed in a state of unconsciousness. The definition of unconsciousness is “the part of the mind which is inaccessible to the conscious mind, but which affects behavior and emotion.” Our Self-Awareness Family Education brings people from unconsciousness to consciousness, something they did not have the ability to see rationally.

What We Do

The pre-intervention, otherwise known as family day, takes place before the face-to-face with the intended patient. During this meeting, there is an in-depth discussion with extensive psychoeducation taking place between the professional interventionist and the family. It is inevitable that during this process, the family will be overwhelmed and running high on emotions. No matter how hard the professional interventionist tries, the family will want to talk about what will happen the following day at the intervention. There are things family members are going to miss and forget during this process. It can be similar to watching a movie or reading a book; sometimes you have to read or see it again several times to capture more of the details. This same scenario occurs during the consultation and the logistics process, also prior to the pre-intervention. Much of what is discussed tends to be forgotten, likely due to anxiety, nervousness, and fear of the unknown journey the family is about to undertake.

After the intervention, a Family First Interventionist will escort your loved one to the treatment center. We work with treatment center partners that understand the importance of involving family. Your family will be encouraged to rely on the treatment center’s clinical team and family resources. You will be instructed to attend Al-Anon, CoDA, Families Anonymous, and ACOA meetings. Finding your own individual therapist is highly encouraged, and for those with a spouse in treatment, we will always support marital counseling with an LMFT.

If your loved one declines help, or accepts help and attempts to leave or successfully leaves the treatment center, that is an entirely different outcome, and we will continue to support your family with the goal of your loved one entering or returning to treatment in the foreseeable future. After the intervention, families are in a different position emotionally and mentally. As they grow and the anxiety decreases, they in turn become more teachable and understanding of the need for family education, guidance, and recovery. Volatile emotions are going to be expressed after an intervention, and families are going to need assistance. Some will have to be talked off the ledge as their loved one calls them and stirs up emotions and controversy. There will be times when the substance user refuses help, and the family is going to need assistance. We provide guidance on how to address your loved one’s emotions and the overwhelming pressure arising from his or her continuing manipulations. The substance user often presses for things to go back to the way it was prior to the intervention. For those who accept help at the intervention, families may need our assistance when their loved ones inevitably call them, making accusations and wanting to leave treatment. Without support, a family may accede to the substance user’s demands and allow for a return home. Whichever scenario unfolds after the intervention, families can’t be left on their own. They need support. Making sure the support comes from the right place is as important as the support itself.

“The most formidable challenge we professionals face is families not accepting our suggested solutions. Rather, they only hear us challenging theirs. Interventions are as much about families letting go of old ideas as they are about being open to new ones. Before a family can do something about the problem, they must stop allowing the problem to persist. These same thoughts and principles apply to your loved one in need of help.”

Mike Loverde, MHS, CIP

When Helping Families, It Often Requires a Village

The intervention is not just a process; it is also a bridge to the family’s recovery support network. As much as it takes a team to put together an effective intervention process, it takes a team to help substance users and families recover, too. As part of our family recovery program, we refer to treatment centers with a family curriculum. Treatment centers that only focus on the struggles of the patient do not help you and your family, nor do they help your loved one. In addition to a treatment center that includes a family program, we encourage you to build your own recovery network. We provide different and effective resources for you and your family members to take advantage of. Think about your loved one in a treatment center where more than one therapist is involved. Although your loved one may interact primarily with one therapist, an integrated treatment team discusses the substance user’s case and provides suggestions and input. This helps to ensure the substance user is benefiting as much as possible from the treatment. He or she is also encouraged and introduced to resources outside of treatment, including doctors, psychiatrists, marriage counselors, additional therapists, and self-help groups. If addicted individuals did nothing other than go to treatment, would they improve? If following treatment, they did not engage in any ongoing support groups or counseling, what are their chances for success? For successful healing of the family, a similar model needs to be in place. When your loved one enters treatment, the treatment center’s curriculum can provide guidance.

Related Resource: A Complete Guide to Addiction Recovery for Your Loved One

A professional intervention can be thought of as triage and a bridge for the family and their loved one. As with the substance user, the treatment team that the family builds helps family members understand the importance of ongoing recovery efforts to ensure forward progress. Think of it as the role played by a physical therapist after surgery. The surgery was necessary, and the efforts post-surgery for long-term healing are equally important. 

An intervention is not about how to control your loved one with a substance use or mental health disorder; it is about learning how to let go of believing you can.