Families turn to interventionists to help addicts survive

Oakland Tribune, Oct 21, 2005 by Monique Beeler, STAFF WRITER

SOMEWHERE ON the road to adulthood, Derek Cooper got lost -- then found, then lost again. It would take the intervention of a stranger to set him back on track.

Derek's start was promising: Upper middle class home, college- educated parents, great schools, plenty of money for extras.

A bright, good-looking kid, he did fine in school and made friends easily in his Burlingame neighborhood.

But his mom drank too much. Sometimes his dad overdid it, too.

Along with plenty of love, the Coopers unintentionally served their young son and his older brother a diet of emotional confusion, a model for alcohol abuse and a set of genes that experts say predisposed their children to abusing alcohol and drugs.

Later, the Coopers divorced and Derek's brother developed a drinking problem, adding further upheaval to the mix.

It was a perfect script for addiction, one that Derek eventually would act out line by line. He started by smoking marijuana in middle school, graduated to alcohol and ended up in rehab before he left high school. A few years later, a relapse would threaten his life.

Fortunately for Derek, his family -- who asked that we change their names and some details to protect their privacy -- found a lifeline in professional interventionist Julie Kelly of Julie Kelly and Associates in Menlo Park. In 15 years of leading interventions, Kelly has memorized the addict's plot line and knows how to direct events toward a happier ending.

An interventionist is a professional trained in substance abuse and recovery issues who bring together relatives and friends to talk to the addict. Methods vary, but the framework is standard: In a loving and truthful environment, the group talks about addiction and ultimately asks the addict to get treatment.

"My job is to make everyone in the room safe," says Kelly, an energetic woman with a bright smile and expressive hands that move as she speaks. "I am a nice person, but I can stand my ground."

Kelly acts as a case manager for the family, spending about 25 hours total for each intervention. Her services include initial telephone consultations with the addict and those in his support circle, a two-day intervention workshop and about 13 hours of follow- up getting the addict into treatment and helping his family start their own recovery process.

Interventions first got the public's attention in the late 1970s when Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford, shared her personal