Common Misconceptions About Interventions

If someone is struggling to move forward in their recovery, they or their loved ones may be wondering if an intervention may be the right choice for their situation. While there are many benefits to conducting an intervention, unfortunately, there are many mistaken beliefs regarding the use of interventions as a treatment for substance use. Someone may believe that interventions won’t work or that they are there to shame their loved one. However, this is not the case. 

With the media’s outrageous portrayal of how interventions are conducted, it is no wonder that there are so many misconceptions regarding interventions for recovery. Many consider interventions to be almost archaic; yelling, blaming, crying, shaming, finger-pointing, etc. While these descriptions are archaic, they do not accurately describe how a professional intervention is conducted. Below are a few of the various misconceptions that are often held by many people surrounding the intervention process.

Interventions Use Guilt and Shame

Many people think that because intervening involves confrontation, the person being intervened needs to experience shame and guilt in order to want to get help. They believe that shedding light upon all of the hurtful, regretful things the individual has done to themselves or others will make them want to change due to the potential intense feelings of shame and guilt. Without feeling these emotions, the person will never be able to change or may not even want to change at all. This is not the case. 

While understanding the magnitude of a person’s struggle is essential for various reasons, causing shame is not necessary or helpful. Rather than guilting and shaming, those confronting the person struggling to control their substance use offer love and support for the person’s well-being. These individuals also convey their concerns while taking a stance against their loved one’s harmful behavior, but this process never requires shaming or guilting that person. 

A person struggling to regain control of their lives is already in a particularly vulnerable place. Being directly confronted by family, friends, and a professional will already be intimidating enough. The finger-pointing, shaming mentality has no place for situations like these. Doing so can cause the person to stray away from loved ones even further and elicit more reason to live in isolation, thus furthering the issue. Meeting your loved one with love and compassion will always be more effective than coming forth with shame and guilt.

There’s No Point in Intervening

Often, people will believe that interventions will do no good unless a person already wants to commit to healing and growing. According to this mindset, in order for a person to truly heal, they must want to heal first. If a person does not already want to seek help, interventions could only make the person being intervened feel worse about themselves and their troubling situation. In this case, an intervention would do no good.

There is value in a person in need of healing wanting to heal, but that does not mean that an intervention serves no purpose. An intervention can be a safe, loving setting for the person in need. It can serve as a reminder of all the people in the person’s life who love and care for them. Expressing concern in a loving, supportive manner can also help reinforce that the person is surrounded with care. Reminding a person who feels lost and is suffering that they are loved, cared for, and supported is never something that has no value. This will always serve a good purpose in one’s life.

Interventions Are Disorganized

A popular yet unfortunate misconception claims interventions consist of a group of people messily and disrespectfully yelling over one another about various topics and thoughts. With so many people trying to express their thoughts and feelings, it is understandable that such a situation could quickly get out of control. In this case, much confusion and dismay would occur, resulting in the person feeling even worse than before they entered the intervention.

Once again, this is not always the case. Even though this is a potential outcome, this will not happen when a trained professional is involved. Having someone who knows how to conduct an intervention is vital for ensuring safe, orderly function and communication. That way, all can effectively communicate their thoughts and feelings safely, respectfully, and in an organized manner. Having someone facilitate this vulnerable, intimate meeting will significantly help it go smoothly, without the worry of being chaotic or overwhelming for anyone involved.
In today’s world, there are many misconstrued ideas regarding how interventions are conducted. These myths can give people many false ideas and beliefs surroundinginterventions that may prevent them from getting the help they or a loved one needs. Understanding how and why interventions work when conducted with love and care along with a trained professional can provide an immense amount of hope to those involved. At Rickard Elmore Treatment Strategies, we recognize the impact of a well-conducted intervention on a person’s life. Not only can we give you more information regarding this topic, but we can also provide you with the resources necessary to prepare for an intervention. Our facility is well trained in conducting successful interventions of all kinds, including crisis intervention services and intervention specialist services. Call us today at (877) 387-7197 to learn more so that we can give you the help you or a loved one may need to heal.