Scott Graham, 
Tulalip Youth Hope House, Marysville

We are concerned about someone we love when drug use, alcohol, anger, a relationship, or health becomes a problem. Intervention is a caring way to convince that someone that s/he has a serious problem and to accept help to overcome it. In the structure of intervention, confrontation becomes “care” frontation, and the national success rate is about 80%. I believe that Truth and Love pushes  the success rate even higher.

The Preparation

A successful intervention doesn’t just happen. It’s carefully orchestrated by a trained facilitator, with five to eight people who care about the person of concern, such as parents, spouses, children, employers, friends, and others. Together they confront the person about the problem. Preparation takes at least 30 minutes for each participant. With six participants, for instance, figure on three to six hours.

We agree on a date and time to prepare, and you invite others who are concerned about your friend. At this point it’s critical that the person of concern not know what’s going on. It’s also vital that those you invite can be trusted not to sabotage the effort. At the appointed time, we meet at a place where our person won’t wander in, and I interview the participants, one by one. I help them organize what they want to say and how they want to say it.

During your interview, for example, you might say, “Last Saturday night he came home drunk. He smelled like alcohol, he cursed at me, and he fell flat on his face.” The Facts justify your concern. Then you state your Feeling, such as, “I felt shocked, angry, and frightened.”  This is Truth, and it helps our person break through denial and self-centeredness.

It’s important to list the person’s good qualities. At this point s/he may believe s/he doesn’t have any, but this will help him/her realize that others see what s/he doesn’t. This is Love, and it reassures our person that you care about him/her.

Here everyone describes two visions of the future for the person. The first is what will happen if s/he continues on the current path. The second is what will happen if s/he gets help. Both visions include the participants’ feelings about each future. This element combines Truth and Love.

Once the outline is completed, each participant writes a letter to the person of concern. When the letters are finished, participants practice reading them aloud, role-playing and fine-tuning to assure that the tone is truthful, loving, and nonjudgmental. We then decide the order in which participants will read their letters, as well as the level of help to be offered.

Finally, we agree on a time to hold the intervention and the place—NOT the home of the person of concern. We’ll be helping our person break through fear and denial, and to accept the help we’re offering. It’s normal for our person to resist, and s/he’ll feel most powerful at home. It’s best to choose a neutral spot, like the home of a friend or family member.

The Intervention

When participants are well prepared, the actual intervention takes only about 30 minutes. The usual and expected outcome is that the person of concern not only agrees to accept help, but leaves for treatment directly from the intervention.

Improving Great Odds

Truth and Love combined are the strongest, most underused force on earth. Using this procedure, I have facilitated 182 interventions in which 173 people agreed to get help. That’s a success rate of 95%, well above the national average. An intervention founded on Truth and Love is the most powerful event I know. It changes lives for the better, not only for the person of concern, but also for everyone else involved. With Truth and Love it’s never too late.

Send mail to Michael White with questions or comments about this web site.
North Sound Mental Health Administration