Interventions

Interventions - Dona-Marie Swaim, MA

More than 23 million Americans are believed to have an addiction disorder, yet only 10 percent of those receive treatment. Many addicts come to get help through the process known as Intervention. Interventions have come a long way since the process was first developed by Vernon Johnson in the 1960’s. Today there are two basic models of professional intervention in use and they differ from each other in very significant ways. The Systemic Family Intervention (SFI) differs from the Johnson Model in that it is both invitational and educational. It focuses on the disease and the family system, with the goal being family (systemic) health. During the intervention, the family must come to understand the difference between co-dependency and responsible relationships. The intervention process is non-confrontational and the message is “WE need help.” The role of the interventionist is to lead the way to recovery rather than pushing. There is no secrecy or deception; it is gentle and respectful. Our speaker in this interview works in the Systemic Family Intervention method, and she shares her approach to this work here.