AAAP’s 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium
INTERVENTION! When, Why, and How to Make the Call — Navigating Difficult Cases in Private Practice: Pros, Cons, and Pitfalls
Participants:
- Lisa Goldfarb – Chairperson
- Stephen Ross – Co-Chair
- Amy Swift – Presenter
- Cindy Feinberg – Presenter
- Matthew Rottnek – Presenter
- Lisa Goldfarb – Moderator
Workshop Summary
Private practice psychiatrists encounter patients whose deteriorating conditions and escalating risks exceed what can be safely managed in the office. The question of whether to call for an INTERVENTION — and what that even means — becomes clinically urgent. This workshop examines intervention as a clinical tool in outpatient practice. We will begin by defining “INTERVENTION.” The term has been popularized by media (from reality TV to TikTok) as an aggressive, confrontational approach to a defiant patient. We will contrast this with a patient- and family-centered collaborative model. We will explore how to evaluate those who call themselves “INTERVENTIONISTS.”
The workshop will then address clinical decision points: When does a situation warrant moving beyond evidence based in-office treatment? Why are clinicians reluctant to act, and what countertransference and frame-related anxieties get in the way? Who should you call? How to make the call while preserving the therapeutic relationship?
Dr. Steve Ross will present a case of ketamine and alcohol overuse; Dr. Matthew Rottnek a case of polysubstance abuse. Recovery Coach Cindy Feinberg, an interventionist, will speak to the process and its challenges. Dr. Amy Swift, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Silver Hill Hospital, will discuss receiving these patients into acute care, detox, and rehab.
Through case material and discussion, participants will examine the pros (safety, breaking through denial, mobilizing support), cons (rupture, premature escalation, loss of autonomy), and pitfalls (acting from anxiety, poor coordination, losing the patient), and leave with a framework for recognizing when intervention is indicated, executing it thoughtfully, and navigating the aftermath.
Learn more and register here.