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Assessment is the first stage of the recovery process and a critical element in effective treatments for substance abuse. Without comprehensive assessment, appropriate patient-treatment matching is not possible.

Among other things, assessment involves identifying

• The severity of the addiction and related associated substance abuse problems
• Factors that may have promoted and perpetuated substance use, culminating in addiction
• Related difficulties that need to be addressed
• The individual’s perceptions of and attitude toward treatment

The purposes of assessments:

• To determine the full spectrum of problems for which treatment may be needed
• To plan appropriate interventions and assist in developing treatment plans and follow-up recommendations
• To identify and involve appropriate family members, friends and significant others in the individual’s treatment

Why is assessment important?

• Without a comprehensive assessment, there is a risk of treating the wrong set of problems or failing to provide intervention and treatments that are targeted for the entire spectrum of problems.

Intervention is a highly effective process that concerned people may use to help a loved one suffering from addiction. Under the direction of a professionally trained interventionist, negative patterns are recognized, broken, and replaced with healthy ones. All of this allows recovery to begin in a way to make the chances of success as high as possible.

Family Intervention

Having a close friend or family member who suffers with an addiction can be challenging. Using motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral strategies, all family members and participants are held accountable for change and growth. In preparing for a family intervention you will learn what an intervention involves and the steps that must be taken to organize one. You will establish realistic expectations about the intervention and what the road to recovery afterward entails.

Assembling the intervention team is a key component of the process, and specific factors should be taken into consideration when choosing each member. We at SF Intervention will walk you through this process and work hard to determine what needs to be done to make the likelihood of success as high as possible. We will also assist you in scheduling the intervention, guiding you through important considerations that can make or break the intervention. Finally, we will show you how to write your intervention letter for maximum effectiveness, carefully helping you on each essential component.

Executive & Impaired Professional Intervention

The effects of addiction in the workplace are estimated to cost American businesses more than $100 billion in lost productivity annually due to premature death and illness and missed work. When the person of concern is a high-level executive or professional, such as a CEO, a physician, or an attorney, the risks and costs can be extremely high.

SF Intervention helps to identify early risk factors and to facilitate interventions when appropriate. We are able to help the person of concern enter treatment for his or her addiction, and importantly we will help you and your colleagues in supporting the person of concern’s recovery when he or she returns to work after treatment. Through executive intervention, we coach the employee of concern to correct negative behaviors such as chronic absenteeism and coming to work intoxicated or hungover. Everything is designed to help the person of concern overcome the problems created by addiction and resume his or her position as a respected member of your company.

Confidentiality is assured in all interventions, but it is especially important when dealing with impaired healthcare professionals, which we at SF Intervention are specifically trained to do. We also have extensive experience working with diversion and monitoring programs and assisting impaired physicians in working with their attorneys and counselors to ensure the best possible outcomes and return to practice.

High-Profile Intervention

Getting help for an addiction is challenging for anyone, but the difficulties are greatly compounded when the person seeking treatment is a celebrity or other high-profile person especially so when the media is covering it.

SF Interventions for high-profile persons are tailored specifically to the unique needs of such individuals, from the initial assessment through post-treatment care. We provide flexibility and creativity to manage sobriety within the constraints that come with celebrity. This includes having all meetings in private and comfortable settings that are chosen by the high profile individual or people working on his or her behalf.

An active engagement in coaching helps you master healthy ways of maintaining a positive mood. Through one-on-one training, homework, and ongoing practice you will become empowered to transform your life.

At SF Intervention, we offer three choices of coaching, depending on your needs and current situation. Each type of coaching offers a great deal of flexibility and will be adapted to your needs as you progress. The three types are:

1. Individual Coaching: When life is challenging or just plain difficult we need help to figure out the way forward, to learn coping skills and to get an unbiased, trained perspective. This is what individual coaching offers.
2. Family Coaching: Sometimes your family just needs a compassionate and trained outsider to listen and offer practical solutions. And while it can be a big step to attend that first appointment, most families come away feeling relieved and better equipped to interact with each other in a more loving and productive way.
3. Intensive Coaching: There are some situations that lend themselves well to regular, weekly coaching, but many situations can be resolved quickly and effectively in a short period of time. Some clinical research and my own experience suggest that intensives (longer, more frequent sessions) are far superior to the one-hour-per-week model of traditional coaching. Longer sessions tend to be more meaningful and effective and, when combined with regular practice outside of sessions, lead to lasting results. This approach is generally more cost-efficient in the long run.Intensive coaching is intended to promote skill building and rapid symptom relief. The intensive model provides the most dramatic results because we use time to explore concerns, thoughts, and feelings and, importantly, to move on to set goals, and practice life-long skills to combat depression, anxiety, habits and addictions, and to transform relationships.Intensive coaching formats may vary widely. Some clients prefer three two-hour sessions per week for four to six weeks, while others have opted for four-to-eight-hour sessions over one or several days. If you are able to invest several hours per day and several days per week, this new approach might be a life-changing opportunity for you.

A few examples of issues that benefit from intensives are:

• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Anxiety
• Panic Attacks
• Social phobia or shyness

No matter the type of coaching you choose, the format will always be designed to meet your specific needs and to address your treatment goals.

Choose from a single program or customize a multi-module workshop from the topics below, based on your needs.

1. Shame: Learn how to break the addiction/shame cycle and differentiate between healthy guilt and immobilizing shame.
2. Communication: Uncover destructive communication patterns; learn effective listening skills; and discover how to manage criticism and complaints without conflict.
3. Motivation to Change: Identify and address barriers to ongoing change; elicit and strengthen personal motivation; and develop commitment to change by creating a specific plan of action.
4. Negative Self-Talk: Learn how to untangle negative thinking patterns, uncover self-defeating beliefs, and increase self-awareness for greater mental and emotional wellbeing.
5. Relapse Prevention: Learn how to maintain recovery gains, recognize relapse warning signs, and develop a healthy lifestyle that makes addiction a thing of the past.
6. Mindfulness Stress-Reduction Program: Learn how to cultivate relaxation, calm, contentment, increase energy, attention, focus, and reduce stress.

When you are presented with a variety of treatment options and other resources, you are empowered to make an informed decision in determining the appropriate level of care. Research and practical experience demonstrates that coming from a place of empowerment optimizes treatment outcomes. When it comes to treatment, one size does not fit all.

SF Intervention provides treatment consultations to inform you about a wide range of available and trustworthy resources so you can follow your preferred path to healing and sobriety.

SF Intervention is available for speaking engagements, and would be happy to present on the following topics (or related topics of your choosing).

• Addiction education
• Prevention
• For parents
• For professionals

By providing this education to your business, school, or organization, you empower people to better understand addiction and the options available for treatment.

You don’t need to be in the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of SF Intervention’s services. We are available for video and phone conferences nationwide.

If you are considering doing an intervention on your own, but would like to consult with a professional first, SF Intervention provides basic education and training for your family and friends via conference or video call. Typically, trainings last for two to three hours, and are often valuable tools to reassure intervention team members who may be unsure about moving forward.