Client addiction illnesses can be a problem for any health insurance adviser, but the issue can get even more complicated when dealing with high net worth (HNW) families.
“It can be absolutely devastating to families who deal with addiction” according to Lauren Evans, partner at Kingsley Napley who has experience in all types of private family law work.
But the problem seems to be a growing one, she told the SIP Global Health Conference: “Sadly in the last 10 to 15 years we’ve seen a real rise in cases involving addiction – and a full spectrum of addictions.
“Often we see that when one addiction is uncovered or understood, there are other addictions that arise from that.
“For the professionals working with the clients there needs to be an understanding that often the addiction is the solution rather than the problem and that there’s underlying issues that need to be addressed.“
Evans highlighted that part of the practical problem for clients suffering from addiction is understanding what is going on as they often present as high functioning professionals who are publicly succeeding.
“I’ve had lots of clients who do not admit to anything until sadly there are results of tests that they are facing,“ she continued.
“The responsibility is on the adviser in those situations to try from the outset to set up a relationship of trust and openness – and show the client you’re not being judgmental and want to support them through the process
She added: “Addiction is seen by the family courts as an illness.
“We aren’t trying to apportion blame – we are trying to understand it as something that needs help and treatment and support from professionals.“
Rolodex approach
Dr Charlie Howard CEO of Xeption was keen to address how professional advisers can let down their clients in this process by just going through their contacts.
“I call this the Rolodex approach to mental health, where an adviser somewhere, whoever it might be, recognises a need and they’ll go through their Rolodex of professionals until someone picks up a phone and says, ‘yes I’ll take on that case’.
“That’s flawed for a bunch of reasons – but the most important one is that often we get one shot at an intervention with clients like this, and it can take a lot of courage for them to say, ‘Yes, I’m ready and I want help’.
“And it’s really unlikely that the person you hit on the Rolodex is going to be a perfect match for that person.”
“So what I really encourage, and what I’ve seen work well, is where an assesment is done by a health professional of that client’s need and then they are matched to the person that’s going to help them.
“We’ve got a much higher change of getting it right from the off if that happens.”
Not a straight road
Addcouncel founder and CEO Paul Flynn, who joined Evans and Howard on the panel, added that with addiction it is not a straight road and there can be competing mindsets and approaches within families.
“Sometimes you can be working with families where the perspective on addiction can be very much that it is a moral failing, that they should be punished, they should be locked up,“he said.
“And that doesn’t really gel with the thinking that exists here in the UK.
“There’s also the concept that comes up about it being a disease or an illness, which again is discussed and felt by many.
“The kind of providers that get the most success with clients and with advisory organisations are those who are offering very much a holistic perspective on how the issue needs to be solved.
“And they are also very clear and open about how long this might take – because if the patient isn’t looking to change and you’re really up against it, what you need to do is make sure there’s a shift to focusing on family to manage their expectations around how this is going to play out.
“But its very often a very, very long road ahead.
“And patience and passion and a lot of kindness and making sure that you’ve got a good group of people working collaboratively together is absolutely vital to get any level of success.”