Families of Survivors
Help for Families & Friends
Most families that reach out to ARCS for help with an addicted or otherwise struggling loved one are well aware that they are in severe pain. In fact, it is most usually this intense pain which has motivated them to seek our counsel. However, most of these families are unaware that their anguish stems predominantly from lack of understanding about the nature and mechanics of trauma within the entire family system. In short, confusion is at the center of their suffering, and this can be easily ameliorated.
As one of our intervention specialists describes, "families find themselves cast into a storm-riddled sea of vicarious symptoms and addictions, tossed about by the crashing waves of its compounding consequences... and we throw them the life raft of information and tools that really work. Most feel relief and a sense of being grounded, even after only one session. In this instance, we have not changed the storm, but we have managed to place them in the peaceful eye of it. And, with family intervention training and ongoing case management, we can reverse years of damage in both the individual and the collective family unit."
As one of our intervention specialists describes, "families find themselves cast into a storm-riddled sea of vicarious symptoms and addictions, tossed about by the crashing waves of its compounding consequences... and we throw them the life raft of information and tools that really work. Most feel relief and a sense of being grounded, even after only one session. In this instance, we have not changed the storm, but we have managed to place them in the peaceful eye of it. And, with family intervention training and ongoing case management, we can reverse years of damage in both the individual and the collective family unit."
Family Intervention Training
Family Intervention Training is an ARCS specialization, which not only costs less but has also shown to yield higher efficacy rates than do traditional, "on-site" interventions. The inevitable response to this statement would be, "Why?... Why and how could a less expensive alternative to classical 'travel-to-you' interventions produce better results?"
Why and how could a less expensive alternative to classical 'travel-to-you' interventions produce better results?"
The answer is actually very simple: Most on-site interventions, even by the most experienced and skilled clinicians are quite simply not successful. Most addicts and other PTSD survivors either do not agree to get on the vehicle that has been reserved to transport them to treatment, or they acquiesce just long enough to evade the immediate and uncomfortable confrontation of the intervention event, itself.
However, do not be discouraged. The magical statistic is revealed in the fact that most survivors do respond very favorably and successfully to intervention attempts, over time. This concept is actually not that revolutionary. Think about it - most smokers report quitting for good, only after several successive attempts. We could consider this example the average smoker's response to a form of self-intervention, and intervention by loved ones is no different. Essentially, addicts and other PTSD survivors are more likely to accept help on subsequent intervention attempts, rather than on the first try.
Addicts and abuse survivors are more likely to accept help on subsequent intervention attempts, rather than on the first try.
So, for substantially less expense, recipients of ARCS Family Intervention Training get all of the customized benefits of on-site intervention, as well as many services that simply are not available on-site, simply because the window of "travel-to-you" intervention work is time-limited. For instance, both sets of intervention beneficiaries receive comprehensive assessment, preparatory family counseling, and customized program placement, transport, case management and aftercare strategies. However, ongoing services, such as adjusting techniques after an initial intervention attempt, or implementing incremental intervention strategies (which are the most successful) are fundamentally not possible, within a weekend's or, even, a week's timeline.
For substantially less expense, recipients of ARCS Family Intervention Training get all of the customized benefits of on-site intervention, as well as many services that simply are not available on-site, simply because the window of "travel-to-you" intervention work is time-limited.
Customized Intervention Strategies
Although there are some fundamental protocols which all interventions share, each one is distinct dependent upon the beliefs, behaviors and any symptoms experienced by the beneficiary, including but not limited to any abuse history --- whether it be substance abuse, domestic abuse, or any form of trauma. Also relevant are psychological profile, emotional disposition and interrelationship with each family member.
This is why the intervention process always begins with a free family consultation, followed by an exhaustive assessment of the beneficiary. It is only through comprehensive assessment that we can tailor both intervention and treatment plans to the specific circumstances, needs, goals and personality of the recipient, thereby ensuring optimal results, for both recipient and family.
After counselor and family have conferred, in the assessment and planning phases, the preparatory work begins. Although the recipient is designated as the ultimate and immediate beneficiary of the intervention, it is the family who will collaborate with the counselor throughout the critical preparatory phase.
This is why the intervention process always begins with a free family consultation, followed by an exhaustive assessment of the beneficiary. It is only through comprehensive assessment that we can tailor both intervention and treatment plans to the specific circumstances, needs, goals and personality of the recipient, thereby ensuring optimal results, for both recipient and family.
After counselor and family have conferred, in the assessment and planning phases, the preparatory work begins. Although the recipient is designated as the ultimate and immediate beneficiary of the intervention, it is the family who will collaborate with the counselor throughout the critical preparatory phase.
​ARCS counseling will help families to hone and implement a host of pre-intervention skills:
- identify and implement boundaries
- understand various behavioral reinforcement and extinction styles, and how to practice them in the home
- learn the difference between healthy and toxic enabling and develop a daily plan to enforce the former, rather than the latter
- develop emotional coping skills, so that they may feel empowered and capable throughout the intervention process
- learn how to capitalize on the brief window of time in which survivor will readily accept help
Once the preparatory phase is completed, the intervention begins. ARCS offers two types of interventions. On-site interventions are the more traditional style, in which we travel to your locale. In this instance, we would perform the assessment phase, and a portion of the preparatory work prior to meeting with you, in person; however, the bulk of preparation would take place in your home. ARCS does not recommend on-site interventions, as they are very costly and less successful than their more affordable counterpart, the at-home intervention. At-home interventions are performed directly by you, the family, with the ongoing training, guidance and supervision of one of our counselors. ARCS Family Intervention Training has proven unprecedented success, due to its potential for ongoing assessment, responsive adjustment and incremental application.
So, what sets the ARCS intervention counselors apart from other professionals?
We are dedicated to helping addicts and other PTSD survivors to also become a collaborator in the intervention process. Our philosophy is, perhaps, best summarized by what one of our intervention specialists recently explained to a family:
"Resisting a rote command is not merely an 'addictive phenomenon'... It's human. No one wants to do something, simply because someone orders us to do it. Of course, for addicts and other trauma survivors, this resistance is multiplied to a survival-threatening degree. Nonetheless, the focus of a successful intervention is not to 'make' the recipient go to treatment. Rather, it's to align treatment goals with the beneficiary's own personal goals and desires --- to demonstrate adequately that one ensures the other. When this is accomplished, the survivor will check themselves in."