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CASE STUDY
"Father Bob" • The Intervention Process

You and Fr. Bob went through Seminary together and were good friends. You kept in touch and managed to have dinner together several times a month. In the early years of your priesthood you were both in parish work and talked easily about the ups and downs of parish ministry. Sometimes you would call one another for advice about unusual or difficult situations in parish life.

You are now pastor of a large urban parish. Ten years ago Fr. Bob left parish work to serve in the Chancery as Vicar for Priests. He has been generally well received by his fellow priests and is a major player in the fund raising efforts of the Diocese. Socially, he is charming.

Recently, Fr. Bob has begun to make excuses for not being able to meet you for dinner. When you do go out you notice that his drinking has increased and that he has gained a great deal of weight. Of further concern to you is the rumor mill -- several other priests have complained about Fr. Bob's short temper with them on the phone. Also circulating is an incident of "rage behavior" with a chancery employee over a mistake made in an important letter.

What's going on with Fr. Bob? How do you respond?

Help for "Father Bob"
Behavioral changes occurring over a period of time are illustrated in this vignette. Fr. Bob's friend has some direct experience of these changes, but he also hears rumors and innuendoes from others. Alcohol is implicated as a factor in Fr. Bob's recent troublesome behavior, but also coming to light are examples of poorly managed anger. Something is wrong and it is not at all clear if the origin of these behavioral difficulties is a drinking problem or Fr. Bob's personality and his insensitivity to the impact of his behavior on others. While personality disorders and addictions are different conditions, they share important features. It is difficult to help those afflicted with either of them because the persons afflicted do not feel they have a problem.

Our personality structure includes the ways we have learned to get our needs met, manage our feelings and cope with conflict. Since "personality" feels normal to the individual, troubles occasioned by personality characteristics are often experienced as caused by adverse circumstances, e.g. inept co-workers, uncaring superiors or any number of obnoxious "others". In an analogous way the addicting substance or behavior is usually experienced as getting needs met, managing certain feelings or coping with conflict.

An individual with either a personality disorder or an addiction finds comfort and stabilization in what others have come to see as hurtful and destructive. For healing to occur such afflicted persons must be brought to see how their behavior causes or at least aggravates their life difficulties. A process for beginning this shift in perception is called an intervention.

The ultimate purpose of an intervention is to precipitate a crisis, to create a motivating tension that pushes a person towards accepting help. It is a difficult, uncertain and usually painful enterprise. There are a few principles that can increase the odds for a successful outcome.

An intervention should be conducted by a small group, each member of which has some personal connection with the subject of the intervention. Ideally the team would include a friend, plus someone who works with the individual, and a religious superior. Family members or other concerned individuals might be appropriate.

The person in difficulty is invited to a meeting by the convener of the intervention. The meeting's agenda should not be announced in advance. If it cannot be fully avoided it should be alluded to in general terms. Preparation of team members is critical to insure that each participant knows what to say and why, to share the emotional burden and confirm the team's resolve. Many find the help of a professional counselor valuable in preparing for and rehearsing an intervention.

Team members should set a clear goal for the subject before the intervention takes place. Typically this would be participation in a formal evaluation by competent professionals. The religious superior on the team must have both the authority and the resolve to define a "bottom line". This is the "or else" which will happen if the subject does not do what is asked, e.g. "If you don't look into this in the way we are requesting you will be removed from your ministry assignment."

At the intervention the subject is asked to listen silently as the team members speak. The feed-back given to the subject should be descriptive and based on observation, e.g. "When we returned from the reception your speech was fuzzy and you stumbled two or three times" and not "I think you're an alcoholic." The intervention concludes with a clear statement of what the person is asked to do.

Those who have been on an intervention team know that it is intrinsically difficult. Personal distress, a sense of doubt and a fear of one's own vulnerability are all common. These realities also make an intervention an act of Christian love. The person so loved may only appreciate this years later, if at all. It is more typical for them to feel betrayed, misjudged and disappointed. The anger expressed may be associated with these perceptions or it may be a cover for a deeper fear.

The intervention is successful if it produces a motivating crisis. As for anyone in crisis the person who has been the subject of an intervention has to have their immediate comfort and safety addressed. There should be the briefest possible interval between the actual intervention and the next step, a professional assessment.

LUKENOTES is a bimonthly publication of Saint Luke Institute.
Permission to use these materials must be requested in writing by contacting
lukenotes@sli.org

SLI EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Saint Luke Institute
8901 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20903
(301) 422-5499 • (301) 422-5519 (fax)

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