Family and Executive Interventions
Have you been concerned about someone who is deteriorating? Do you think that alcohol or drugs might be contributing to changes in mood and behavior? Have attempts to get the person help met with resistance?
Intervention is a technique that evolved because many people with alcohol and drug problems have difficulty coming to terms with a need for professional help.
The good news is that most people are not in complete denial. When constructively approached by family or an employer, most people can be engaged in discussion about their options, including getting treatment. Families can be restored and careers preserved.
Dr. Warren has developed a unique, flexible and respectful approach to Interventions that brings to bear the wisdom of both family systems theory and psychodynamic theory.
Our approach is highly customized to meet the unique needs of each family or business.
We work with families and employers who are dealing with individuals who are impaired by mental illness and/or substance misuse. Based on an assessment of the dynamics of the individual, including dual diagnoses, and the family system or workplace, we develop an Intervention plan that is tailored to each case. With a goal of enduring systemic change, the process emphasizes learning about addiction– and most importantly, learning new ways of relating.
We have developed a highly effective, non-deceptive and non-confrontational model for addressing denial and helping individuals make informed decisions about treatment.
We also work within a harm reduction or drinking in moderation model for individuals who want to understand and/or alter their use of substances without committing to abstinence.
We refer to the best and most discreet treatment programs in the country, and assist in planning for re-entry into the workforce and family following treatment.
Unique Intervention Model
What makes Dr. Warren’s Psychodynamic-Systemic Model different?
The original model for Intervention was developed by Vernon Johnson, a recovering alcoholic in the 1960s who thought there must be a way to get through denial to get alcoholics and addicts into treatment. Johnson created a breakthrough that got a lot of alcoholics and addicts into treatment, but at a high cost. The early model was very confrontational and deceptive, and relied on ultimatums. The model was based on the experience of living with alcoholism rather than on the science of human behavior.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s mental health professionals started to use their knowledge of family dynamics and human motivation to modify the technique so that deception was no longer considered necessary, and it became possible to enlist alcoholics and addicts in choosing to seek help rather than being strong-armed into treatment. In this Systemic Model, the focus also shifted more towards creating lasting change in family dynamics rather than measuring success in terms of whether or not the alcoholic or addict accepts treatment.
Dr. Warren was trained in the Systemic model, but has expanded the model to make it highly customized based on an assessment of the needs and capacities of all members of the family or business.
In Dr. Warren’s model, no two Interventions look alike. The Psychodynamic- Systemic Intervention is designed around a careful assessment of each unique family or business. In high conflict families, often family members are worked with individually or in pairs in a “shuttle diplomacy” approach.
The Psychodynamic-Systemic model has proven highly effective for both families and businesses– with little or no collateral damage– for a wide array of conditions including:
drug abuse
alcohol abuse
gambling
bipolar disorder