An intervention can be necessary for encouraging people struggling with addiction to seek help. Of course, planning an intervention is not easy. When and where should you schedule it? Who will attend? And what should you say during the intervention?
Hiring the help of an addiction intervention specialist is recommended. These professionals can advise you on the most effective way to hold an intervention. Below are just a few tips on things to look for when choosing an addiction intervention specialist.
Experience
An addiction intervention specialist should have previous experience helping to organize interventions. Ideally, they should have completed some form of training – possibly while working for an addiction treatment service.
Don’t be afraid to ask about a professional’s previous experience to get an idea as to how proficient they are. Such professionals should not be willing to discuss the details of previous cases. However, they should be able to tell you roughly how many interventions they’ve worked on.
Knowledge
A good addiction intervention specialist should also be knowledgeable when it comes to local addiction treatment options. Using this knowledge, they should be able to recommend to you the best form of treatment to suggest to your loved one. You will know if an addiction intervention specialist is knowledgeable or not by how they answer questions and by the information they provide on their website.
Reputation
Do they come recommended by others? Have they got good online reviews? Reputation is an important factor to consider as it reflects whether previous clients have found their service to be worthwhile.
Some professionals may have a lot of experience planning interventions, but if they don’t have lots of good reviews it could mean that many of these interventions weren’t successful. This is why you should always do your research into a company’s reputation first.
Area of specialism
Some addiction intervention specialists may focus solely on helping those with alcohol addiction or with specific types of drug addiction such as cocaine, opioids, or meth. Others may focus on specific demographics such as teenagers or older adults.
And then there are some companies that are able to provide intervention services for a range of addictions and demographics. Make sure to choose an addiction intervention specialist with experience that is relevant to your needs.
Availability
Do you need to host an intervention as soon as possible? Or can you wait a few weeks before planning it? It is important that any addiction intervention specialist you hire is able to work within your timeframe.
Some professionals may not be able to plan a date for a few weeks. This is no use if you need an intervention to be held urgently.
Insurance
Intervention services may – along with other alcohol and drug treatment services – may be covered by some insurance schemes. This could be worth looking into when hiring an addiction intervention specialist. Talk to professionals about this beforehand to see if you are likely to be covered.