As a Certified Love First Clinical Interventionist, my goal is to help families develop a plan that will allow their loved one to find a path towards recovery and towards leading a life that is again worth celebrating. A person's true potential can never be realized when addiction has stolen their ability to make healthy decisions for their lives. And families are often tormented for months and years by trying to fight addiction with love or money or reason. Adding to that, many people with addictions today are suffering from co-occurring mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, or trauma, which may never have been treated and create a complex picture for even professionals. Unfortunately, there are physiological, psychological, physical and spiritual aspects to the illness of addiction, and unless they are all addressed within a family's system of understanding, recovery will be spotty at best.
Using the power of love, we can work together in breaking through defenses that have been developed to protect the disease. I am certified in the Love First model of interventions, although I am trained in other models as well which may be called upon depending upon the clients' struggles and circumstances. Love First is a highly orchestrated family structured opportunity to save a person's life and get them on the road to recovery when they are unable to do it themselves. People come to me when they have loved ones whose lives have been taken over by a destructive substance (alcohol, drugs, sex, love, food), or behavior (psychiatric illness) that is out of control. Their loved one is unable to recognize their illness, to get help, or to be successful in achieving sober living on their own. Interventions are done through careful selection of a team of people including family, friends, neighbors, or even employers who are the influencers of that person's life. Most of the interventions I do are related to substances and behaviors that people have attempted to quit on their own but without lasting success. Since addiction is a disease of the brain, intervening on someone struggling provides a wonderful opportunity for the family to find some healing as well, since they too have been deeply affected by the disease. People who are addictied to drugs and alcohol are sick. People who struggle with mental illness require empathetic diagnosis and treatment. The people who care for them often need to come to terms with their own enabling behavior and investigate possible parallel symptoms of co-dependency. An Intervention allows trusted people inside and outside the family system to unwrap the family secret and provide honest feedback, while presenting a plan for safe recovery through appropriate treatment.
Interventions require some well organized preparation and planning as the walls of everyones' defenses are broken and reality is ultimately faced. This process is often easier for an outside professional to lead, as we bring objectivity and experience to the family in trouble. I use my experience, confidence, and relational skills to make families comfortable in working with me. I understand how difficult it is for families to make that call for help, so will respond quickly to telephone calls. While the process can take on average between 5 days and 2 weeks, I am able to complete an intervention in short order when necessary and can work to make things happen as fast as possible without compromising quality. I also offer a background and training in faith based counseling, which provides a special niche for those who might request an Interventionist with that specialty.
It takes a team of people to round out the continuum of care that might be required in helping a love one in recovery. I utilize a network of professionals to call upon to include special needs in pre-planning of the intervention (such as legal issues or intervening on high profile, high net worth clients, or licensed professionals). I will stay in touch with the treatment team and family during and after acute care treatment to assure an appropriate recovery plan is in place upon discharge that is both safe and can offer the highest level of a successful re-entry. Paige Stetson & Associates provides transport to treatment and offers a plan for aftercare, including case management, recovery coaching, mentoring, monitoring, relapse prevention and family support under separate contract. We primarily work with the 16+ population through older adults even 80 years old, and have equal success working with both genders.
Although each situation is different, following the process really works in achieving the most desirable outcome...treatment. I would be happy to discuss your particular situation with you and, if indicated, meet for a consultative visit at your convenience. You don't have to feel helpless any longer. We're here to help you feel more comfortable with deciding to take that first step. Don't wait for your loved one to hit bottom. Call me at 203 898-2512 and let's do this together!
