Mental Health Referrals From Interventionists: Treatment Options After Professional Intervention
Friends and family members of people with poor mental health deeply care about their loved ones and can struggle for years with the impacts of these conditions. They may feel like powerless bystanders while someone they love engages in self-destructive behaviors and refuses to get treatment for their condition.
Many are led to take action in the form of interventions, connecting people to mental health treatment, perhaps for the first time. These interventions can be important turning points for individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Plus, while some might choose to carry out interventions alone, others may enlist the help of a professional interventionist.
These professionals can help facilitate communication between family members and refer people to a range of specialized services in your state. If you’re concerned about a loved one’s mental health, professional services like Mission Connection can guide you towards a suitable interventionist for your needs.
This page can also help you better understand mental health referrals from interventionists, as it explores:
- What mental health interventions are and why they’re used
- How interventions can be carried out
- Treatment options after interventions take place
- Tips for communicating during the intervention
What Are Mental Health Interventions?
Mental health interventions are meetings between a person engaged in concerning or self-destructive behaviors and their concerned friends or family members. An intervention is an effort to help someone who’s either unable to help themselves or unwilling to engage in treatment. This person may refuse to acknowledge they need help, leading loved ones to take action on their behalf.1
The meeting may or may not be confrontational, depending on the relationships between the people involved. However, it’s important that those on the receiving end of an intervention don’t feel attacked. Interventions are not a time to criticize or blame. Therefore, family members or friends might enlist a professional to help with the intervention. This should be someone with mental health experience, typically known as an “interventionist.”1
There are a few different models used for interventions, each with the goal of helping someone accept treatment and healing dynamics within families.2 Varying in their approach, these models include the following.
Mental Health Intervention Models:
- The Johnson Model: When members of the person’s network confront them with the damage their behavior has caused and the actions they’ll take if they refuse treatment.3
- ARISE: This approach emphasizes a continuum of recovery instead of a single intervention. It allows for negotiation, while other methods often don’t, and builds on previous positive relationships in the person’s network.4
- Love First: This type of intervention values written letters and ongoing meetings between loved ones, while avoiding threatening stark consequences.
The interventionist you find may be committed to one type of intervention model. For this reason, it might be a good idea to research each before contacting someone. This way, you’ll have a better idea of what type of intervention would suit your loved one’s needs.
Additionally, professional interventionists should be certified or registered in the state where they practice. There are many different qualifications, and they vary across states, but they may be a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP) or Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), among other titles.1
Why Use an Intervention?
Interventions are often used after friends or family members have been concerned about a loved one for a while. They may also have previously tried to speak to their loved one about their mental health or behavior, but had no success.
Interventions are typically used with people who experience:
- Mood disorders that put them at risk of harming themselves
- Difficulty adhering to a medication schedule
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviors
- Dementia
- Risky behaviors that affect their mental and/or physical health
Those with such issues may be seemingly unable to help themselves from relapsing or engaging in behavior that harms them.1 Therefore, some friends and family members might feel a duty to intervene and get them to safety. This experience can be extremely distressing, especially if relationships are already rocky. Interventionists aim to connect clients and loved ones to mental health care in ways that make this process smoother and less damaging to relationships.
How Do Mental Health Interventions Work?
The first step to a mental health intervention may be getting in touch with an interventionist about what’s been happening. They can help identify the most appropriate people to be a part of the “team” that helps someone’s recovery.2
The interventionist is trained to support the whole process, beginning with explaining how interventions work. As mentioned previously, they may adhere to a specific model. Therefore, you may want to look for an intervention program that provides support in a specific way. For example, does a certain interventionist provide support after the intervention itself?
Most likely, the interventionist will begin by listening to your experiences and gaining an understanding of your loved one’s condition. They may also draw up a list of treatment options before planning the intervention itself.2
You’ll then plan when and where the intervention will take place, who will be there, and an outline of what will be said. In the intervention, family members and friends typically present the problem. For instance, they might explain how the person’s behaviors are negatively affecting themselves and those around them.1
Therapeutic interventions are designed to be structured and non-threatening because this can have a positive effect on the person who needs help. Then, once the impacts have been talked through, the options for treatment can be presented.1
Interventions will also have moments where the interventionist and loved ones urge the person to listen and accept help. Family members should also give reassurance that they love and care for them, and that this isn’t a punishment.1
Once they accept that they need support for their condition, you can get them into treatment. You may be able to do this yourself, contacting a particular service with your loved one present. Alternatively, the interventionist can do it for you.
Treatment Options After Professional Interventions
Therapy options recommended by interventionists will vary depending on the person’s condition and perhaps what’s available in your local area. For example, intervention referrals for severe mental health cases may involve crisis centers, or residential or inpatient treatment. The following are some treatment options after professional interventions.
Different Referral Options After Intervention:
- Inpatient programs: These programs can be a great place for people to rest, get their medication in order, and receive intensive therapy. As a note, people tend to have more positive inpatient experiences if they feel their admission is voluntary, which might be influenced by their experience of an intervention.6
- Talk therapy: In terms of less intensive treatment options, an individual may be referred to one-to-one psychotherapy. In this form of treatment, they’ll be able to discuss their emotions, better understand themselves, and develop coping mechanisms. It can also fit more easily into daily life, which may be important for autonomy and normalcy.
- Group therapy: For more than half of the people who are dependent on risky behaviors, support groups and community engagement are two of the most critical predictors of their recovery. Therefore, group therapy could be a highly valuable treatment option.7
- Family therapy: An interventionist could also refer to family therapy, which aims to improve interactions between family members by reducing distress and conflict. For instance, to avoid feelings of blame, family therapists may avoid trying to identify a “cause” of family conflict. Instead, they might help with maintaining functioning relationships, mobilizing the family’s internal strength, and practicing problem-solving techniques.5
- Psychoeducation: The function of a family system is central to the theories behind interventions, and being connected to family and friends is an important part of someone’s recovery.8 Depending on the model of intervention, you may be encouraged to have an active role in your loved one’s recovery. This can call for psychoeducation, which involves learning the basics of a mental health condition’s cause, symptoms, prognosis, and treatment options.5
Tips for Handling an Intervention
Interventions usually require challenging conversations, so if you’re planning an intervention, you might need to learn to communicate in a new way. Firstly, remember that people who are struggling with their mental health typically have a hard time asking for help and appearing vulnerable. They may feel embarrassed and deeply resistant to admitting they can’t cope.9
Your loved one may also not respond positively. For instance, they may profusely deny that a problem exists, accuse you of betrayal, or become aggressive.9 You should remain calm and avoid engaging in an argument. This is when having a script can be very useful. The way you phrase your statements will be very important. So, it’s better to stick to facts and your own feelings. For example:
- “When I don’t hear from you in days, I feel scared.” is better than, “You make me terrified all the time!”
- “We don’t spend as much time together as we used to. I miss feeling connected to you.” is better than, “You’re never around anymore!”
This kind of language is called “non-violent communication” and focuses on approaching others without judgment. By concentrating on your own emotions, you may help cultivate empathy and reduce feelings of blame. In this way, you can keep tensions low during the intervention and connect more meaningfully with your loved one.
Mission Connection: Post-Intervention Treatment Options
If you’ve confronted a loved one about seeking support for their condition, you’ve taken a brave step in the right direction. Next, you might be thinking about therapy treatment plans for them post-intervention.
At Mission Connection, we offer a range of treatment options and regularly handle referrals from interventionists. Mental health support after a professional intervention may feel intimidating, but our unique therapeutic model prioritizes personalized care and long-lasting healing.
Whether your loved one needs cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, or EMDR therapy for trauma, our licensed professionals can help. We can also be flexible with their schedule and work either in-person or online. Get in touch to inquire about our services.
References
- Psychology Today. (2012). Therapeutic intervention | Psychology Today UK. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/therapy-types/therapeutic-intervention
- Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS). What is an intervention? Learn about intervention. (n.d.). Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS). https://www.associationofinterventionspecialists.org/learn-about-intervention/
- Loneck, B., Garrett, J. A., & Banks, S. M. (1996). A comparison of the Johnson intervention with four other methods of referral to outpatient treatment. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 22(2), 233–246. https://doi.org/10.3109/00952999609001656
- Garrett, J., Landau, J., Shea, R., Stanton, M. D., Baciewicz, G., & Brinkman-Sull, D. (1998). The ARISE intervention: Using family and network links to engage addicted persons in treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 15(4), 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0740-5472(97)00212-2
- Varghese, M., Kirpekar, V., & Loganathan, S. (2021). Family interventions: Basic principles and techniques. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(2), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_770_19
- Færden, A., Bølgen, B., Løvhaug, L., Thoresen, C., & Dieset, I. (2020). Patient satisfaction and acute psychiatric inpatient treatment. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 74(8), 577–584. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2020.1764620
- Shalaby, R. A. H., & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2020). Peer support in mental health: A general review of the literature. JMIR Mental Health, 7(6), e15572. https://doi.org/10.2196/15572
- Herpertz-Dahlmann, B. (2021). Intensive treatments in adolescent anorexia nervosa. Nutrients, 13(4), 1265. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041265
- Psychology Today (2019). Identifying and navigating mental illness in loved ones. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/balanced/201905/identifying-and-navigating-mental-illness-in-loved-one