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 F
A Q s
Questions
we hear all the time:
Intervention specialist Ed Storti has compiled a list of
questions asked by people learning about interventions. This
list may answer most of your basic questions. Click on any
of the questions below to find the answer. You can browse
the list below, or download a PDF (Portable Document Format)
by clicking here.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader(tm) to read the PDF file.
This is a free download. You will need a password from Mr.
Storti to open this file. Please contact him by clicking
here.
Download
Acrobat Reader(tm) here.
For
questions not answered
below:
Use the Expert Advice area below
for more detailed answers or for information about The
Storti Method. You can also look into Mr. Storti's book,
"Heart to Heart: The Honorable Approach to Motivational
Intervention," available now in a new edition.
Click
here
to see the front cover art and here
to see the back cover art, which includes
testimonials from prominent people intimately
familiar with Mr. Storti and his intervention
successes.
For
a comprehensive overview: You
can get a complete understanding of all the steps involved
in an intervention by contacting Mr. Storti here.
When you email Mr. Storti, please include your name, phone
number and a good time he can reach you, if you want him to
cover the steps you'll go through.
Questions
General
Questions
1.
Is
this the only way to help my loved one?
2.
Do treatment centers work?
3. Can
a treatment center fix a patient in 30 days?
4. Don't
patients have to "hit bottom" before they'll want help?
About
the Model and Intervention Techniques
5.
Why
is the Storti Modeltm
successful?
6. Does
the procedure have
risks?
7. Are
there different intervention
models?
8. What
makes the Storti Modeltm
different?
9. Do
you work for a treatment facility?
About
Your Participation in the Preparation
10.
Are
participants with addictive diseases allowed to
participate?
11. If
some participants are not sure they will attend the
intervention, can they attend the
preparation?
12. If
the person is violent, what will you
do?
13. If
some people cannot make the preparation meeting, can they
still be included in the
intervention?
About
Your Participation in the Intervention
14.
How
long does the intervention
last?
15. Can
two family members be intervened on at the same
time?
16. Can
young children participate in the
intervention?
17. Do
you intervene in the
home?
18. Shouldn't
the patient pay for his or her own
treatment?
Answers
General
Questions
1.
Is this the only way to help my loved one?
No.
You can wait and let the diseases of addiction
"intervene" by itself. This intervention comes in the
form of arrests or medical crises: someone winds up in
jail or the body gives out. Premature death can
occur.
Other
less shocking but still deeply tragic results may also
await you and your loved one. When the illness takes
its own course, excruciating loneliness and alienation
occurs. Socially, friends and family withdraw from the
patient, or the patient isolates him or herself. As
the pain intensifies, it becomes intolerable--the
patient "bottoms out".
The
problem with this approach is that the insupportable
lifestyle ("insane" at its core) continues even after
bottoming out.
This
is not to say that bottoming out always leads to
disaster. Sometimes, the reality of the addiction can
settle in on the patient and they seek help.
Nevertheless, even in these successful situations, the
patient is not the only person affected by the
disease. You are affected, too. The patient may take
several years to bottom out--but maybe you
can't tolerate your present situation that long.
Instead, you'll get tired and frustrated. You will
suffer until the situation is intolerable, even though
you are not the addicted person.
None
of this bottoming out is necessary. The Storti Method
is founded on the principle that you don't have to
wait any longer.
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2.
Do treatment centers work?
I
have always believed that most quality centers will
not fail you, but the patient can fail them. Sometimes
the patient will not do what they need to do to stay
physically and psychologically healthy.
The
treatment centers do have the methods that can keep
the addiction in physical remission and to temper the
mindset of the addicted patient. The hope for the
patient is that they will take responsibility for
their recovery. This is not easy. Will the patient
stop sabotaging their success? Will they adhere to
abstention? Will they discover and manage the triggers
that continue their abuse of self?
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3.
Can a treatment center fix a patient in 30 days?
No.
Treatment centers want to first stabilize the patient
physically and psychologically, and then give them a
choice for their future. Once in treatment, a
transformation can in fact occur in the patient. They
can acquire a desire and practical motivation to learn
more about their addiction. They can become more
honest about their part in it. Ultimately, the bulk of
the patient's work will take place in aftercare, once
the clinic has stabilized and given them
direction.
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4.
Don't patients have to "hit bottom" before they'll
want help?
We
believe that 85% of people with addictive disease
never ask for help. The remaining approximately
15% respond to their pain or their crisis by getting
help on their own. Help can come from anonymous groups
(AA, NA, and so on), therapists, physicians--a few
addicts have even been successful by getting clean
themselves.
Since
addictions shorten lives and bring misery to all
involved, most people with addictions lead a life of
practical or clinical insanity. They die too young.
The reason is that the patient, in his illness, has
developed stubbornness, a numbness, or a threshold for
pain that keeps him in a state of
self-abuse.
The
intervention process, in the vast majority of cases,
alters the destiny of the disease. It lengthens lives
and provides an alternative to abuse and insanity.
Intervention is a proven alternative to bottoming out.
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About
the Model and Intervention
Techniques
5.
Why is the Storti Modeltm
successful?
In
the Storti Modeltm, the power of the
intervention rests in its appeal to the heart of the
patient--not the mind. The intervention communicates
kindness and respect. Its purpose is not primarily to
give the patient information or to get the patient to
fully admit to the extent of the disease. The simpler
and more powerful goal of motivating the
patient to accept the solution is the Model's
aim.
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6.
Does the procedure have risks?
Yes.
Any competent specialist will go over your personal
risks involved in an intervention. That is why an
assessment is needed--it deciphers what risks may be
present and gives the interventionist a chance to
outline ways of dealing with difficult scenarios that
may occur during the intervention--or even
afterwards.
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7.
Are there different intervention models?
Yes.
Each intervention specialist has accepted a certain
school of theory of intervention. Each also brings his
or her personality to the process. It's wise to call a
few intervention specialists. Ask for material to be
sent and even schedule an assessment with them to make
sure you're comfortable with all aspects of the
intervention model and specialist. You can ask for
recommendations from treatment centers or families
who've experienced interventions in the past. I have a
list of centers below.
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8.
What makes the Storti Modeltm
different?
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9.
Do you work for a treatment facility?
No.
I admit to and regularly work with many treatment
centers around the United States.
I
have admitting privileges at the
Mayo
Clinic
(Rochester, MN), the Betty
Ford Center
(Rancho Mirage, CA), Hazelden
Minnesota
(Center City, MN), Hazelden
Springbrook
(Newberg, OR), Harmony
Place
(Malibu,
CA), Hoag
Memorial
(Newport
Beach), Sundown
Ranch
(Selah, WA), Sierra-Tucson
(AZ), Cottonwood
de Tucson
(AZ), Talbot
Recovery Center
(Atlanta, GA), Anacapa
by the Sea (Port
Hueneme, CA), Cirque
Lodge
(Sundance,
UT), Promises/Malibu
(CA), the
Oasis
(Anaheim, CA), Rancho
l'Abri
(Dulzura, CA), Father
Martin's Ashley
(Havre de Grace, MD), Michael's
House
(Palm Springs), The
Renaissance Malibu
(Malibu,
CA), Cri-Help
(Hollywood, CA), Menninger
(Topeka,
KS), Scripps
Memorial Hospital
(La Jolla, CA), Pacific
Hills
(San Juan Capistrano), Life's
Journey Center
(Palm Springs, CA), Malibu
Recovery
(Malibu,
CA), Peninsula
Recovery Center
(San Pedro, CA ), The
Meadows
(Wickenburg, AZ), Remuda
Ranch
(Wickenburg, AZ), Bishop
Gooden Home
(Pasadena, CA ), Montecatini
(Rancho La Costa, CA), Newfound
Life
(Long
Beach, CA), Cumberland
Heights
(Nashville,TN), Fairview
Recovery Service
(Minneapolis, MN), Serenity
Knolls
(Forest Knolls, CA), Sober
Living by the Sea
(Newport Beach, CA), Las
Encinas
(Pasadena, CA), Willing
Way
(Statesboro, GA), Montenido
(Malibu, CA), The
Caron Foundation
(Wernersville, PA), Loma
Linda University Hospital
(Redlands, CA), Aspen
Health Services
(Cerritos, CA and nationally), Edgewood
Chemical Dependency
Centre
(Nanaimo,
British Columbia), Summit
Centers
(Malibu, CA) and other excellent
institutions.
I
use a range of clinics because it's important to match
the clinic to the patient's requirements (physical or
psychological needs and locale and budgetary
factors).
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About
Your Participation in the
Preparation
10.
Are participants with addictive diseases allowed to
participate?
Always
the chief criterion is the degree of trust the family
feels towards the participant. Will the addicted
participant tell the patient of the impending
intervention?
With
trust and a contributing spirit in place, yes, often
an addicted person can participate in an intervention
on the patient.
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11.
If some participants are not sure they will attend the
intervention, can they attend the
preparation?
Yes.
Normally, the preparation (usually the afternoon
before the intervention) helps to unite the group, to
create a cohesive team. There should be no unrest in
the group. It should feel positive, even excited about
going forward with the intervention.
After
the preparation it is decided whether all participants
want to attend the intervention. Most do, but
sometimes someone declines. Those who decline can
always write a letter of encouragement for
presentation.
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12.
If the person has violent tendencies, what will you
do?
The
assessment helps to determine the appropriateness of
intervening on someone known to erupt in anger in
emotional situations, who is dangerous, or who is
unstable. Typically having the right people present
can defuse this behavior.
Warning:
Not all patients can be intervened upon. The only way
to determine the appropriateness of intervention is to
discuss risk factors during the assessment.
If
the patient does become violent, the intervention will
stop immediately and the interventionist will take the
participants and debrief them. The exit will have been
discussed carefully during the assessment.
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13.
If some people cannot make the preparation meeting, can
they still be included in the
intervention?
Yes.
It is important that the person read some material of
mine, which I will have given to the contact person.
The person must also understand and agree to the
philosophy of the Storti Modeltm.
Warning:
The bulk of the group must be prepared. Interventions
under the Storti Modeltm rely on the
chemistry that comes from a prepared group.
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About
Your Participation in the
Intervention
14.
How long does the intervention last?
Less
time than you might think--typically less than an
hour. The group is prepared to present for two to
three hours if necessary. More time is spent in
assessment. On rare occasions (no more than 1 to 2
percent), interventions end prematurely due to
inappropriate or abusive behavior by the patient. I
will discuss this with you during the
assessment.
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15.
Can two family members be intervened on at the same
time?
Yes.
I have intervened on two people at once, or two people
separately in the same day, admitting them to
different facilities. It takes a special effort by the
group and the intervention specialist, but it can be
done.
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16.
Can young children participate in the
intervention?
Yes,
in some cases. Children younger than ten years old are
not usually appropriate at an intervention. If the
contribution of a young child would help, audio or
video tape can be prepared for presentation during the
intervention, or cards, written with love, can be
given to the patient and read out loud.
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17.
Do you intervene in the home?
Yes.
I find that intervention in the home is comfortable
for the patient. It also is comfortable for the
family. On the other hand, there are issues to
consider before choosing the home. For example, you
may not know the patient's schedule to be sure they
would be home, you may not know who might be with the
patient that day in the home, or there may be weapons
in the home. These details will be worked out during
the assessment and preparation.
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18.
Shouldn't the patient pay for his or her own
treatment?
It
is difficult enough to motivate patients to get help.
To present that they'll need a deposit is a major
endeavor. Usually I recommend that there be a
guarantor of the account. This helps the patient stay
focused on admission and treatment.
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E
x p e r t A d v i c e
Ed
Storti is happy to answer specific questions that are not
covered in the list of frequently asked questions available
above (see F A Q s).
Click
here
to ask Mr. Storti a question via email.
You
can also write to him. Click here
for his address.
Mr.
Storti's book may also provide you information you can study
in the comfort and privacy of your own home, and without
staring at a computer monitor. Please
click
here
to request more information
on "Heart
to Heart: The Honorable Approach to Motivational
Intervention" ($15.00 + $3.00 S/H) currently available in a
new edition. Click
here
to see the front cover art and here
to see the back cover art, which includes testimonials from
prominent people intimately familiar with Mr. Storti and his
intervention successes.
Send
a specific question to our staff now and we will forward it
to an expert. IF
YOUR NEED IS URGENT, CONTACT SOMEONE BY PHONE. Click on
"About Us" for these phone numbers.
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