Who should participate in the Intervention?

In a Classical Intervention, everyone who is meaningful to the addict is a candidate for inclusion in the Intervention. For a Family Systems Intervention, anyone who is affected by the addict's behaviour is a candidate for inclusion.

Elderly family members are sometimes not included because of their health or from a desire to minimize stress for them. This is often a mistake and serious consideration should be made to include them whenever possible. Children are also powerful members of the family, and although they should be protected at all costs, they often can be participants in an Intervention to everyone's benefit including theirs.

Furthermore, the process is not dependent upon the number of people. Successful Interventions can occur between a husband and wife or parent and child with little or no involvement from any one else.

How many people actually participate depends upon many factors; geography and other practical concerns must be considered. If the family is dispersed around the country and some members can not afford to attend, the Intervention can still be conducted.