When will I take on a client with Compulsive Hoarding issues?

I work with clients who have compulsive hoarding issues.

The clients with the highest probability of changing their situation will be doing these things...

1. It will be their idea to ask for help.
When they are ready, they will call me. It doesn't work well if they are forced to call me by a well-meaning family member. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't him drink."

2. They are in some sort of therapy or counseling.
It's best if they are in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) at the same time I am working with them. With their permission, I can work in a collaborative arrangement with the therapist to help move things along in the home while the client and therapist work on issues in the office. I am not a therapist, and I am well-aware of my boundaries when it comes to this issue.

3. The client has family or friends in the area who are supportive and encourage their efforts to clean up.
This isn't an "absolute" of mine, but again, the chances for change are much, much better if the client has a support team. A therapist or other professional can also be a part of that supportive group.

If you are looking for an organizer in your area, please contact the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) and look at their website for a qualified professional with training around compulsive hoarding.

Watch this blog for more posts about compulsive hoarding and what to expect from a trained professional organizer if you are a person with compulsive hoarding issues.

There's help...there really is. It's not easy and it's not cheap. But it's life changing and it's worth it.

Are you ready for a different life?

Workshops and talks

Workshops and talks available to
clients, organizers, clubs or organizations

• "Adult ADD: How a Walk in the Woods Can Help You Focus"
• "Nature AND Nurture: It all A.D.D.'s Up" (co-presented with Kim Anker-Paddon, CPO-CD)
• "Present Yourself Professionally: Transforming Your Image without Spending a Fortune"
  
• "The Head, Heart and Soul of Organizing"
• "Oh Look, a Butterfly! Staying on Top of Work When Working From Home Isn't Working"
• "How to Keep All the Pots on the Stove from Boiling Over without Losing Your Cool"
• "Recognizing the Hoarding Client"
• "Using the NSGCD Clutter-Hoarding Scale"

Scheduled Workshops and Talks

 Thursday March 31, 2011
 "Is this hoarding and what can I do about it?" Presentation for the public through the Russian River Empowerment Center in Guerneville, CA.

Tuesday May 15, 2011
"Motivational Interviewing for the Professional Organizer" Presentation to members of the NBOC a the Spring Educational Seminar, Sonoma County, CA.

Date TBA, 2011

"Recognizing Hoarding Disorder"for West County Services

Some of my previous presentation experience:

• Teleclasses for the NSGCD (2009, 2010)
• Retreat/conference sessions for the NBOC (2006, 2008)
• Conference sessions at NAPO-SFBA annual conference (2006, 2007)
• Talks for local organizations and clubs
• National Park Service (Numerous walks, talks, campfire programs in Yosemite and Point Reyes on natural and cultural history topics. Those were my park ranger days!)

Certification, Education and Experience

Professional Memberships 

• National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)
• Golden Circle Member
• National Association of Professional Organizers-San Francisco Bay Area (NAPO-SFBA)
• National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD)
• North Bay Organizers and Coaches (NBOC)
• Membership Coordinator
  
• Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)

Certification, Education and Experience

• Level V Master Trainer in CD and Organization (NSGCD, 8/10)
• "The purpose of the Master Trainer certificate is to acknowledge leadership, publication, training, coaching service and commitment to the field of study and exploration of Chronic Disorganization and organization. This is the NSGCD certificate and certification program highest level of achievement."
•  Level IV Training Program Coach (NSGCD, 10/09)
• "The objective and purpose of the NSGCD Training Program Coach, level IV, is to develop an organizer's skills and knowledge in the area of training, coaching, motivating, and communications."
• CPO-CD® (NSGCD, 9/07)
  
  
  • I am the only Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization in California north of San Francisco.
  • 18-month mentored and peer reviewed certification program
• Specialist Certificates (NSGCD)
  
  • Chronic Disorganization
    
    • 25 hours of study and General Exam
  • Attention Deficit Disorder
    
    
    • 65 hours of study ADD Exam
• Certificates of Study (NSGCD)
  
  
  • Chronic Disorganization
  • Basic ADD Issues with the CD Client
  • CD Client Administration
  • Understanding the Needs of the Elderly CD Client
  • Basic Physical Conditions Affecting the CD Client
  • Learning Styles and Modalities
  • Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client
  • Understanding the Needs of the Student CD Client
  • Basic Mental Health Conditions and Challenges Affecting the CD Client
  • Life Transitions
    
• Coach Approach for Organizers Graduate (2006)
• Completed one-year Organizer Coach program (2009)
• Environmental Education, 12 years (Naturalist and National Park Ranger at Point Reyes National Seashore and Yosemite. Field Seminars Director, Point Reyes National Seashore Association)
• Free-lance photojournalist 
• B.S. Journalism, University of Kansas (1983)