Intervention & Family Services
An intervention isn’t just a one and done session that produces immediate results. I’m a believer that long-term intervention is crucial to an individual’s path to recovery. This means that my services focus on creating a highly personalized, effective plan for lasting recovery. As a Certified ARISE® Interventionist (CAI), I work closely with each client and their family to understand their unique lifestyle, challenges, needs, and budget. From there, I design an intervention and long-term recovery strategy tailored to your specific situation because recovery is never one-size-fits-all. My mission is to provide compassionate guidance and unwavering support, ensuring every client takes a confident, effective first step toward wellness.
If we work together, here’s what the process may look like:
First Call: Our first call typically lasts 60 minutes and is always complimentary. We’ll use this time to discuss your loved one, you and what compelled you to reach out. From there, we’ll review any information related to your loved one’s physical and mental health, your family history and who else in your loved one’s network may want to become involved in the intervention process—these individuals may range from close friends to family members. Use my Calendly link to easily book a call with me.
The First Family Session: This session is the only session that does not include the person of concern. Here we’ll gather what I call the key players or support network—those individuals who should be involved in your loved one’s intervention journey. During this call, which typically happens over Zoom, we’ll get everyone in one virtual room to dive into family history and discuss next steps to reach out to your loved one to invite them to our upcoming first meeting. Prior to the first family session I’ll ask that each key player complete a form that addresses (Need info about what the form says)
The First Family Meeting: Should your loved one choose to attend this meeting, we immediately take the shame and blame out of the disease. Safety and sensitivity is at the forefront of the entire meeting and it’s my goal to meet your loved one where they’re at. I always travel to the first family meeting so it’s an in-person session that typically lasts 3-4 days. During this session we map out the family genogram and decide on the best next steps for your loved one.
Treatment: Based on the first family meeting and my care assessment, financial considerations and appropriate level of grief and trauma support required, we’ll narrow down and select the most appropriate facilities for your loved one’s care. If your loved one agrees, I will safely transport them to an inpatient treatment facility.
Comprehensive Care: I conduct ongoing meetings via Zoom with the key players starting the week after the first family meeting. If your loved one is in treatment, we’ll include them in the meetings as soon as they’re cleared to do so. These ongoing meetings, which typically occur weekly for TK months, consist of the same support network who attended the family meeting to provide continuity of care.
Genogram Session
For many on the path to sobriety, the question of nature versus nurture often arises with many wondering which has played a bigger role in shaping their lives. I believe both are influential with our identities deeply intertwined with our family history. For clients and families seeking deeper insights into how their past may have shaped their choices and circumstances, I offer a genogram session. This powerful tool helps uncover patterns and influences within your familial relationships, providing clarity and understanding as you move forward on your recovery journey.
What is a genogram?
A genogram is much more than a family tree. It’s a detailed map that provides a visual representation of a family’s history and lineage, including the relationships and dynamics between individuals. The genograms that I create document these familial relationships, often going back generations, to better enhance my client’s understanding of how their past can shape their current identity and relationship with controlled substances.
What happens during a genogram session?
My genogram sessions typically last 2 hours and it is always included as part of my intervention and family services—oftentimes, creating a genogram and reviewing it with my clients is one of the first breakthrough moments I have with them.
For those simply interested in a genogram and its insights, I offer a genogram session as a one-off service, which we can do via Zoom or in-person if you’re in the Bay Area. Past clients have used these standalone sessions to teach their college-bound children about the history of substance abuse in their family or as a means to reconnect with family members. While I’m not a licensed clinical expert, I’ve discovered that genograms are incredibly valuable, no matter however you choose to leverage them.
What goes into preparing for a genogram?
I provide a questionnaire to my client and specific family members. The questionnaire helps me create a framework for the genogram. When we meet, we’ll work together to discuss the genogram and the intricate relationships between the various generations and family members. At the end of the exercise, you’ll receive the genogram as a PDF.
Could you feel better by having a chat?
We have been right where you are. We have seen loved ones struggle and we know what good -ethical - care looks like and we would really like to help you find that.