Perkins: "Intervention is a statement of love"
By Janice Chavers - H-B lifestyle editor
The Herald Bulletin

One of the hardest things to do is to get a loved one to seek treatment for chemical or alcohol abuse.

Sometimes, outside help is needed.

Bruce Perkins of Perkins Intervention Service offers that help. He does interventions for treatment centers, including several for the Anderson Center of St. John's.

"After years of recovering and seeing the need, we developed an interest in the intervention process. We launched into this through our concern," Perkins said.

An intervention is a process of getting an alcoholic or chemically addicted person to treatment. Interventions are done at treatment centers, in the home or at the workplace.

"Intervention is a statement of love. It's a statement that you are worth too much to let you destroy yourself," Perkins said.

The first step for Perkins is to meet with family and get a history of their concerns to see if there's a pattern of abuse to merit the intervention.

When it is decided an intervention is necessary, Perkins meets with all those who wish to take part.

"The only requirement to take part is to be someone who cares."

Perkins said he gets the concerns of people and tells them their role in the intervention and his role.

"I tell them to first make a list of all the things they love about that person, their good qualities, their assets. Then I have them list their concerns, hurts, fears, disappointments and frustrations," Perkins said.

The group rehearses how they will share this information with the participant.

"The messages must be delivered with love and compassion, not anger. We're trying to show the person all the good qualities, but something has happened to prevent this person from being available for the family. We have to smash the denial system of the user. This person really believes he doesn't have a problem or they will work it out on their own," Perkins said.

When it is ready, the intervention team comes in unannounced on the suspected abuser.

"They expect to be scolded, but telling them the good things diffuses the anger. They're just melting. Then you say, despite all these wonderful qualities "

For example, a good statement about a person would be:

"You were so caring on vacation two years ago and spent such quality time with the kids. I married you, because I knew you were such a caring person."

Then, on the flip side: "This summer you were preoccupied. You left the cottage for hours at a time and came back with liquor on your breath. The kids were upset, and so was I."

"We're trying to show how the situation gets worse," Perkins said.

Perkins added the intervention team is also trying to point out there's a pattern of abuse, and it can't be worked out on its own.

"Their delusions are sincere. They sincerely believe it. We have to take off their blinders," Perkins said.

At the point the person aggress to get help, he is taken to a treatment center; staff members are waiting for him."

"We say, Let's just pack some bags. We'll go to a treatment center to see what it's like. There are no locked doors."

Perkins said after three or four days, the person will want to stay at the center.

"They can get their dignity and self-esteem back," he said.

Perkins said 95 percent of the interventions he does are in the home, while a few are at work. Interventions are done on people of all ages, including adolescents.

"The success rate of intervention with adolescents is almost 100 percent (of getting them into treatment)," Perkins said.

Perkins added one-on-one counseling wouldn't work on smashing the denial system.

"But if five to seven people come with love and they're all seeing the exact same things and have a history of examples, 85 percent of the time the denial will be broken. They'll think, could all those people be wrong?"

"It seems simplistic, but it's an art. You need enough substance and grit with the data," Perkins said.

Perkins added it's so important to have a specialist there, because family members are so emotionally charged.

"It will usually blow up in their faces without a facilitator. You need the objectivity."

The home setting also is helpful, because a person's defenses are up when he is in a therapist's office. It's misinformation that you can't help a person who is not ready for help, Perkins said.

"You can create the environment for them to make a decision."

Perkins added the only mistake family members can make is doing nothing.

"There's always interventions to be done Thousands are in immediate need in this region if I wanted to do these fulltime, I could work around the clock," Perkins said.

Interventions are a rewarding experience for Perkins.

"You see the benefits in one day. In other counseling, it takes longer to see the benefits. It's difficult to verbalize how I feel when I see the relief of the family."

"Hundreds of families are living testimonials to the fact interventions work. They're on with their lives."