BOUNDARIES

I would like to explain this subject in two parts. Many times when you intervene, you are alone in a city, with the added pressure of the case or for some–the feeling of boredom. You must be careful; you can be vulnerable by being enticed or feel the need for some type of relief or diversion.

I recall a case, where a woman called me, regarding wanting to drop off some letters from family members that had just arrived. I was staying in a hotel and she wanted to hand deliver the letters. She asked for my room number and floor. I thought about it and responded with, “I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Complaints have been filed against interventionists regarding these issues (another series). You must be careful–especially with perceptions. I cannot imagine a male interventionist traveling with a female client alone–either by car or plane and visa versa. One must be aware of accusation and liability (another future topic). You must have boundaries or you could end up paying a major price!

Boundaries regarding service. My entire work in intervening has been around refining and motivating the addicted to enter a treatment center. The art of engaging, presenting and motivating is a study in itself plus managing it as a business. Once a therapist stated to me, “Ed I admire you because you have boundaries in intervening—you refer to treatment centers, to qualified therapists and ongoing follow-up groups. You don’t cross boundaries, your forte is in intervening, not therapy, and you understand it.”

I have always felt my art is in intervening not coaching; no continued post therapy or directing my own outpatient groups. Sometimes, I feel the interventionist sees the intervention as the lead in to their therapy business and the therapy business is really their passion or perhaps it pays better? I am not sure what is right, wrong, plus or minus. Some folks are much better therapists than interventionists and they may need to look at that aspect.

If you intervene—follow-up is a major part of the intervention process. It is the package. When I refer to licensed therapists with proper credentials to assist with the post follow-up intervention, I exhibit honesty to not only the group but also to myself.

ARE YOU LIKEABLE?

This has to be one of the most intriguing topics. Do people like you? Not sure? Some folks would be better off left in the back office versus working up front with the public. I am amazed with high-end treatment facilities that advertise the best of the best treatment for your loved ones and are viewed on their brochure as picture perfect. There are times when the patient is being transported from the airport–that the representative from the facility–is the exact opposite of professionalism (many of you know what I am talking about).

I have noticed in some treatment centers that the Intake/Admissions person should never be the first person to greet the new client! Some interventionists are angry people–yet, believe they are likable. Some come across as arrogant, controlling and explosive. Some facility staffs will tell you they do not like admissions from certain interventionists due to the above issues.

Remember, if people are attracted to you and enjoy being around you, this can be a wonderful start toward a very fulfilling career. Please also remember, there is sincere delusion in some!

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET YOUR REFERRALS?

Many times, interventionists want the facility to refer clients and the facility wants the interventionists to refer their clients. An interesting wheel that keeps on turning.

When I started intervening in the mid seventies, you designed your business around your catchment area (surrounding area). You then worked off of your self-referrals (people telling people). I associated with a few treatment centers. I appreciated their expertise/ethics and hoped they might refer to me someday. Quite frankly, this still might be a good business plan for new inductees.

Obviously, there is the web, pay per click, public relations firms, and links to intervention businesses’. It goes on and on! Maybe what needs to be said is that treatment centers have bombarded intervention advertising and now have created a way to refer back to themselves (having a cadre of interventionists primarily referring to one facility). Thinking you can out-bid centers, corporations and big business is not going to happen! Most interventionists that have spent their individual money to advance themselves on search engines or links have been disappointed regarding inquiries and paid interventions. Little by little, business will arrive when you are ready; just do not over-spend in doing so. If you build it–they will come!

CAN YOU BE OBJECTIVE?

This is sensitive. You receive a referral from XY center; you assess the case and realize the case is not appropriate for XY center. I have tried calling the center yet only to be told that this is the type of patient they specialize in and look forward to handholding the patient as well as the family through the process.

The client begins treatment and it is an immediate disaster (another subject). The family is calling stating, “Why were we not told of the nuances of this center; we are deeply disappointed and feel betrayed.” As one family member stated to me regarding their experience with a center, “At the beginning, they took all my phone calls but once I wrote the check, I couldn’t get anyone to call me back.”

From the very start of my career, I knew that it would not work to admit to only one facility. I work with a few facilities and if I receive a referral from one and the case goes to another facility then I keep the first facility in mind when it is appropriate. I believe many interventionists are this way; I have seen a few who are gunslingers or bounty hunters. Yet, most do due diligence and refer the patient to the most appropriate facility. Always trust your gut instinct. Sometimes, the intellect gets in the way! Always do the right thing.

DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH SICK PEOPLE?

Honestly, this topic seems so basic, but the truth is when the patient or family is difficult you will get reactions from your staff or interventionists saying the person is a pain and they are very sick (one of the sickest of the sick)! Another is when the interventionist’s ego is at stake and the war of words is fought. I have realized, over the years, that many times it is not the patient it can be you! We sometimes get to a place where our tolerance level is diminished or you never had tolerance for un-healthy clients. Some want a career change but do not know what to do and still others feel stuck and decide to intervene thinking it might be the best of worlds but they do not connect with ill people.

Compassion, empathy, respect and passion is something you have or don’t have. You will be tested on these levels when you work in the field of addiction as an interventionist. Please understand, my tolerance of highly difficult cases has diminished and I realize it—that is why I refer to others who have a zest to accept and perform these types of cases. We need to know our limitations and accept them. However, it is nice to know them before we jump into a career change!

CAN YOU HANDLE INDEPENDENT WORK?

When I left being an intervention specialist for a local hospital and went on my own, I did not realize the loneliness. I became an independent. I did not have the daily support, friendliness and camaraderie. I seemed cut off. Colleagues and hospitals told me they were happy for me and would certainly refer to me. Each day I patiently waited for the telephone to ring, only to be disappointed because only a few referrals came my way. I felt at times they were jealous or did not care. The truth is you are only as good as the referents understanding of intervening and their capability of deciphering potential clients (true today). In addition, people were happy for me but they had salaried or hourly jobs and saw me as the same. They did not understand that it is one week or one month to the next paycheck.

My success came by not depending on any one entity but appreciating each referral one at a time. Intervening is you, family and your higher power. I am always proud when an interventionist reaches out and calls me for my recommendation or thoughts. They have learned to reach out!

To be an independent intervention specialist takes discipline. Remember, too much free time is dangerous. The book, E-Myth, talks about being a great chef or mechanic but you might not be a terrific business organizer.

Just be aware it is a slow process and it is good to have a “business sponsor” that you can meet with on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. It is great to follow your dreams. You cannot live life wishing you should have tried or wished it could have been different. Just be sure and think it through, realizing the cash flow you need or don’t need and then, follow your heart!

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts and perceptions. My next article will be “The Ten Complaints From The Public About Intervention Specialists.” Thank you for the terrific e-mails. I appreciate each one of you taking the time to write me. Remember, keep your head held high, shoulders back and breathe deeply!

In gratitude, Ed Storti

Many are attracted to the field of addiction and once they hear about the specialty of intervention they decide to enter the rank as an intervention specialist.   They do so with respect, determination and compassion.  Some hope to intern as an apprentice with an experienced interventionist and learn the intricacies and nuances of the craft.  Yet, today, this is difficult, because there is limited training for an interventionist.  Although some ask me for advice, the majority will try to figure out what it takes to create a business and be successful.

So let us begin!  If I were to sit down and advise a bright, shining, intern on what a “profile” of an interventionist is, I would keep the dialog simple and to the point.  I would then map out the following points one needs to consider before entering the field as an intervention specialist:

BE AT HARMONY WITH YOURSELF

I believe, to intervene and be of service to families, you must be at peace with self. It is very difficult to offer hope to patients and families if you are a person who lives in disharmony.  If one is experiencing anger, rage, and a pending divorce or has a great deal of resentment, one must first deal with these issues in order to free oneself.   When intervening, you must at all times, be in the moment of your case.  You cannot be occupied with negative emotions.

IF MARRIED OR IN A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP—BE UNIFIED

To be an interventionist takes time and much of the time is spent away from home -  holidays, weekends, special family gatherings, weddings, etc…  You must have a mate that agrees to this lifestyle.  I am blessed with a supportive spouse who has always been there for me.  Without her support, I could not have spent so many years in my craft.  You will need your mate’s support, understanding, compassion and being there for the family’s needs when your head is going over, “Why didn’t that client go to treatment today?”  Support on both ends is so needed.   Intervening is not an 8 to 5 job.

ARE YOU A PERFECTIONIST?

I honestly believe that when families pay us compensation, they want a perfectionist.  If I need a surgeon, I hope he/she is a perfectionist.  I hope my dentist is a perfectionist along with my mechanic and my electrician (you get the picture).  Truly, we deal with life and death issues.  If you have a lackadaisical attitude or give only a certain percent of your energy, then intervening is not for you. There is a saying in the medical field:  there are no minor surgeries, only minor surgeons.  You must deliver the finest quality of workmanship and being a perfectionist is a foundation.

CAN YOU EXCEPT REJECTION?

Intervening can bring out many different emotions from the family and patient.  I have had the patient say, “Thank you for this wonderful gift” to “How dare you, get out of my house!”  Families can also be perplexing.   Remember, blood is thicker than water.  You must always go over risk factors prior to an intervention—otherwise, families can turn on you!  Remember, this is stuff you bring home after the case.  Can you separate your work from your home life?

FINANCIAL UPS AND DOWNS

Over the years, I have said to many new interventionists, “Don’t quit your day job!”  An amazing statistic shows 9 out of 10 of those intervened upon will enter treatment after their intervention (rather standard).  Yet, only 1-10 inquiries will result in an intervention (reasons for not going forward are:  money, split camps in the family, maybe the problem will go away).  There is a lot of inquiry time spent on the phone that you chalk up to community service because most callers are just looking and are not yet convinced addiction is lethal.   Some callers are looking for a bargain; others work one interventionist against another.  When you have a business based upon how many times a day the phone rings (reactive business) you will always find ebb and flow.   When I want the phone calls to slow down during the holidays, it seems people are asking for interventions on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and wanting it NOW!  This is what we in the business classify as reactive business.

12 STEP RECOVERY IS YOUR TRAINING

Recovery from addiction does not mean you are now a professional specialist.  Recovery means you are now sensitive to the addictive client and that is what attracts you to the field of addiction treatment.  You must be astute in the disease concept, other pathologies, treatment models, intervention methods and have a vocabulary that is clean and concise, yet not overbearing (hopefully, you are a likeable person). I include people’s recovering testimonials in my interventions for age and gender.  It can be very moving and hopeful.  On the other side, I have had recovering participants from families come across rigid, know it all, and inappropriate.  To be an interventionist, you must hold your profession for all to see and admire.  You represent a spoke in the wheel of your profession.

TO INTERVENE IS DRAINING

I cannot explain the energy it takes to completely involve yourself in a case– physically, psychologically and spiritually.  There is no easy intervention.  It is always emotionally tiring–especially when results seem bleak.  Prior to an intervention, I fast.   For whatever reason, I lose my appetite.  I also do not sleep well before the intervention.  It has always been like this for me since I started intervening.  If a case does not go well for me, I tend to brood or keep going over should, could and would have’s. We in the field, often say to intervene is to induce a crisis in the additive’s life.  I also realize to intervene creates crisis in all the participant’s lives.  It is hectic, courageous and exhausting.  The interventionist deserves every dollar they charge for being available to jump into the frying pan and tolerate the heat!    When you go home after a case, you have to change and be a husband, wife, partner, mom or dad.  Many need time to decompress.

DO YOU LIKE CHAOS?

I have believed for a long time that most addictive people are attracted to the double edge sword of living.  In other words, they are attracted to living on the edge.  This might work for you in a positive manner when you are a recovering addicted person and work in the field of addiction.  If you can be calm within a storm, then you have the making for being an interventionist.  The opposite can be problematic when one lives a chaotic life as an interventionist and passes his disharmony and instability on to his clients.  This is not only chaotic for you but also for your colleagues and those you serve.  You must be stable to attract participants to follow your lead.  One must show steadiness to attract calm.  I believe that intervening can be intoxicating (ask new interventionists and they will tell you they love the rush in pursuing the moment).  If you do not like chaos or getting involved in people’s problems, you may not want to pursue this specialty!

MARATHONS OR HALF MARATHONS?

To intervene and offer a full range of service is to run a marathon.  It can be very time consuming when returning calls (loved ones, friends, colleagues, and shoppers) and answering inquiries.  Assessing a case can take another block of time, extra phone calls and meetings.  You must continually do research, prepare the family, intervene, make follow-up calls and perform other aspects of the case.  In each case you must exceed expectations and deliver due diligence.

On some cases you lose money due to the hours spent and on others your return is acceptable.  A great deal of time is spent on communicating and re-communicating when you treat families the same way you would want your loved ones treated.  Remember, a marathon is 26.2 miles not 18 or 20.  Once a family hires you to perform–you have promised you will run the 26.2 miles.

I hope you have enjoyed Part I of this 2 part series.  Part II will include more insights and successes.