Family case management

Addiction is a profound disease with wide-ranging impacts on those with addiction as well as their entire family and circle of friends. Friends and loved ones close to the addict are often submerged into a world of chaos, confusion and anger as trust is broken repeatedly. It can be difficult to work, enjoy recreation and hobbies, even get a good night’s sleep.

Our family case management approach involves working with the addicted individual and each member of their family, acting as a case manager securing and coordinating the counselling and services each individual needs, most often from multiple agencies. Case management replaces a haphazard process of referrals with a single, well-structured service led by someone who has worked in this field for decades.

As the single point of contact, our interventionists work collaboratively with the addicted individual, the treatment center, and the family to ensure treatment completion, relapse prevention, and the resolution of grief and other problems at the root of the pain and the addictive disease.

Interventions

An intervention is often the second critical step in our family case management process. The first is doing some pre-work with the family (and/or friends) of an addicted individual to understand the unique circumstances so we can organize an intervention appropriate to the situation. Sometimes, we have to account for the potential of a violent or self-destructive reaction, and we have the training to help with that. We conduct risk assessments prior to all interventions, ensuring we are holding them in a safe environment with a trained counsellor skilled in establishing rapport quickly and helping maintain appropriate boundaries in challenging relationships.

Sometimes, an addict will use this opportunity to immediately choose to enter a recovery process, but that’s not always the case. It can take a while and some hard work, or an addict might choose managed use or reject the process entirely. In those instances the family members must be supported in their grief and struggle.

Whatever the dynamics, our interventionists will work with you to recommend the best approach to an intervention, and through that intervention guide you towards the best treatment and follow-up plan for everyone. An effective intervention can be the positive start of a longer process towards recovery and a better quality of life for everyone involved.

What happens after an intervention?

What happens following an intervention varies with the situation, but generally involves a series of family meetings where we provide support & guidance, one-on-one work, and then after-care. At family meetings we will work with you to create guiding principles everyone agrees to, and which will be the foundation of relationships going forward. Ideally, the addicted person will create a self-directed plan for their recovery, whether that means treatment or managed use – and we’ll help them see that through. If possible, we will also work them on creating a new, more positive environment by addressing important areas of their lives such as vocational rehabilitation, finding employment, and securing safe housing.

Once our primary work is complete, generally after about three months, we will continue to be available to monitor things and provide support as clients work on maintaining their new lifestyle. We also provide direction to after-care, which can involve out-patient treatment centre programs, relapse & recovery groups, 12-step programs, and halfway houses. It really depends on what our client needs.