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1. Resources about Severe Clutter and Compulsive Hoarding (Local to Sonoma County)
   (Organizations, Websites, Support Groups, Books, Professional Organizers)

New Hoarding Support Group In San Mateo County

A colleague, Caroline Totah, RN, CPO-CD®, CPO®, who works on the peninsula south of San Francisco recently forwarded information about a new support group forming there for people with hoarding issues.

Those interested in attending the group can find out more at Peninsula Community Service's hoarding website: www.hoarders.org.

You will be directed to take a survey. For those who do not have access to the internet, you can call directly.

• Joanne Chan, PsyD at 415-816-8611
• Linda Merrifield at 650-343-4380.

I looked at the survey and it doesn't ask any personal questions about hoarding issues, but instead asks the reader about his/her preferences for where and how often meetings should be held, how long they should be, how far you would be willing to drive and what benefit you would like to derive from attending meetings.

I recommend visiting the PCS website whether or not you can attend this support group. It is really comprehensive with many resources and information for those living in the San Mateo County area as well as for anyone, anywhere.

And by the way, if you are in need of a professional organizer in the Pacifica area, please consider contacting Caroline Totah. I know her through my membership in the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) and she has a really wonderful list of qualifications and the personality to work with the "organizationally challenged." She has a great "About Me" page you shouldn't miss!

• http://ctorganizingsolutions.com

The Top Three Reasons to Hoard

I attended a talk the other day and the speaker mentioned that there ARE some good reasons to hoard. It made me think a bit, even though it made me cringe. When I hear the word "hoard" I think of my clients who have so much stuff in their homes that they can no longer function. They can't sleep in their beds. They can't cook in their kitchens and they can't sit on their couch. Or take a shower or bath.

The meaning of the word might have changed, but I do tend to think we the word has always meant, "keeping too much."

But here are my top three times when it's OK to "hoard."

1. You are a squirrel (scrub jay, marmot, pika, rat, etc.) and you need to store food for the winter in order to survive. Even if there is "extra" when spring comes, at least it has padded your lair and insulated it.

2. You live in California (earthquakes), the midwest (tornadoes), a river delta (flooding) or the East (hurricanes and snow storms) and you have created an emergency preparedness kit so you have a better chance of surviving one of these disasters.

The next group I do tend to think of as a little "crazy" but I do harbor a little envy at the same time...

3. You are a "Dooms-dayer" that believes something is coming (an apocalypse, Commies, hippies or Democrats/Republicans) that will change the face of the earth forever and you will need supplies for 6 months or longer and the ability to be self-sufficient after that.

Group 1 is acting on instinct. Something tells them to gather food in order to live.

Groups 2 and 3 might be acting on either real or imagined future scenarios, but both are acting in an organized fashion and are doing what they can get to make sure they can get to their supplies and make use of them when they will need them.

Someone who is keeping things "for the future" or "when I might need them" and is not organized about it, is fooling him/herself into thinking they are just being prepared or frugal.

If you have so much stuff in your home that you can no longer do some basic things (mentioned above--sleep in your bed, sit on your couch, cook in your kitchen, use your bath or shower) because of the things that are piled on your bed, laying on your couch, "stored" in your kitchen or in your stove or piled in your tub or shower, then you have a problem called hoarding.

It may also be preventing you from seeing your family, or your own family from having friends over. It may have ruined a relationship. And it can kill you. (It can prevent emergency personnel from reaching you and even kill you directly if a pile falls on you or trips you up.)

If you are living like this, or know someone who is, please, please, let someone else know. Start seeing a therapist or counselor. Reach out to a friend.

There might be a "Hoarding Task Force" or alliance of some kind in your county or city.

Here are a few resources to start with.

A local mental health agency.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, try:
San Francisco Mental Health Association Institute on Hoarding and Cluttering, http://mha-sf.org/programs/ichc.cfm

National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, www.nsgcd.org
They provide free Fact Sheets as well as a referral service to help you find a professional organizer trained in helping clients with hoarding issues.

National Association of Professional Organizers, www.napo.net
You can find an organizer in your area. Just be sure s/he lists severe clutter or hoarding as a specialty.

I Care Village, www.icarevillage.com
A new comprehensive online resource for caregivers of the elderly. A section on hoarding is included.

Children of Hoarders website
Comprehensive website with links to local resources, legal advice, therapists in your part of the country. Personal stories, pictures, videos. Not for the faint of heart–but you will realize you are not alone!  http://www.childrenofhoarders.com


OCD Foundation (Hoarding Center)
This site is co-edited by Drs. Randy Frost and Gail Skeketee, authors (with David Tolin) of Buried in Treasures (see below). They are on the front line of research into hoarding behaviors.  http://www.ocfoundation.info/hoarding/


Books

Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding, by David Tolin, Randy Frost and Gail Steketee.

Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring, by Michael Tompkins and Tamara Hartl.

Organizing is like a bowl of oatmeal

This post is something akin to
"Life is like a box of chocolates."

Let me explain...

My husband eats a bowl of oatmeal almost every day. However, he rarely finishes it before he leaves for work and he finishes it on the way. That means the bowl sits in his car all day before he gets home and sets it in the sink.

You know what that bowl is like 10 hours later, right? The difference between dried oatmeal and superglue is minuscule at this point. That bowl has got to soak for hours in water before it can be cleaned (by hand). There's no point in putting it in the dishwasher, which seems to only multiply the superglue effect of dried oatmeal.

My point here around organizing is this: it's often much easier to get to (and complete) a project or task right away, rather than letting it "ripen."

Those bowls or any other dishes, when newly dirty, are often extremely easy to clean. A moment of swishing a bowl with water and a scrubber will clean them well enough to set in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning and sterilizing.

However, if you let dishes sit to dry and harden, it not only takes time to let them soak, but then more water (a precious resource in in drought-prone California), more effort (elbow grease) and more time (scrubbing, soaking) to get an item clean. What might have taken seconds and very little water, is taking minutes and gallons of water and energy just because you didn't rinse an item right away.

Now, is this an essay about the rewards of doing your dishes right away? (Yes and no.) For some of my clients, creating a habit of cleaning the kitchen is something we work on together. But really, I'm looking at the bigger picture here.

What other tasks are you putting off that cost you more in time, effort, energy and possibly money (since time is money)?

I know I've got a couple of overdue library books racking up some fines. (Actual dollars there.)

If I let the laundry go too long, then I suddenly have several loads to wash, dry, fold and put away. (And in the same vein, if I let the laundry sit in the dryer too long, I then have a load of wrinkled clothes that will now cost me time (and electricity...$) to iron.

If I don't open my mail and put all the bills in the "bills to pay" folder, I might miss a bill, have to pay a late fee ($) and possibly harm my credit.

If you can nip anything in the bud, then you will keep it from overtaking you and putting you in "overwhelm." Often, "overwhelm" isn't because we have so many things coming at us (well, for some people it is), but it's because we've let so many things get away from us and they become wild and unruly like spoiled children. Kids don't come out of the birth canal spoiled. Parents that have neglected to set rules and boundaries create spoiled children. Omissions rather than an actual act of trying to spoil kids. A lot like our omissions of not getting to tasks.

(In truth, a child does come out of the womb spoiled. They have had everything they have ever needed fed to them through a tube or encased around them. Heck, they haven't even had to chew and swallow. And I do believe we should "spoil" them for quite awhile after they enter the world with all that they need: food, sleep, clean clothes and diapers and love and attention. At some point, though, gentle boundaries are taught and they begin to assimilate into a world with other beings. But I think I have digressed a tad...)

All I am saying is this...the next time you are about to procrastinate on a task, think down the line a little. How long will it take right now versus how long it will take tomorrow or next week? Is there a price to pay? The price you pay may be in dollars, time, effort, another person's hurt feelings, your reputation or your credit score!

What's it worth?

Oh, and those oatmeal bowls? I think I'll encourage DH to eat toast...

A&E Hoarders Episode II

I have a few thoughts about the second episode of A&E's new series called "Hoarders."

This episode featured two stories–Linda who needed to sell her house after her divorce, but needed to clear it and repair it before it could be put up for sale. She worked with a therapist who stood with her during the purging.

The second story featured Steven, who had filled his very small studio apartment with garbage. He worked with (the infamous in organizing circles) professional organizer, Dorothy Breininger.

Linda was shown shopping at a thrift store before her clearing began. I heard her delight in finding interesting things (a purse in the shape of an armadillo, for example), the pride in finding something that was a "bargain" and when at the grocery store, the excitement in finding a new type of energy bar. They said she shops at the thrift store several times a week and can spend $100-$200 at a time there. Now, since I am quite familiar with thrift stores, I know that that much money buys quite a lot. And that much stuff will take up a lot of space in the home!

I don't know the therapist who worked with Linda, and I don't know how much work they did together in the office before they got to the house. It seems like that for the sake of the filming, a crew was provided, but there wasn't much the crew could do since the therapist didn't set up the day in a way that a crew could really do anything. She did put Linda "in charge" of decisions about what was to be let go of (the only way to do it), but had she used an organizer too, they might have been able to get more done by doing some agreed upon pre-organizing into piles for her to look at. Instead, they worked as I do when I am one-on-one with a client--slowly, one box or pile at a time. They worked 10 hours on one day (usually far too much for one person to handle) and then again probably several hours the next day. It seemed to end with Linda overwhelmed and her son very frustrated with the lack of "progress." The end-titles told us that Linda gave up on cleaning the house, wasn't able to secure a loan for repairs and moved out. It wasn't clear what work she and the therapist had done or were continuing to do in reducing the acquiring Linda does.

In Steven's case, Dorothy Breininger (an NSGCD member, I might add) made good use of the crew by setting up numerous categories, and had the crew stack things in those areas for Steven to look through. Now, this was a very small apartment, but they were able to clear it out in the two days and set it up very simply for Steven to live in again. Dorothy talked about how they had already had some conversations around what his goals were, and asking himself "Does keeping this get me closer to this goal or farther?" I liked Dorothy's attitude toward Steven, reminding him often (and reinforcing the idea numerous times) that he was in charge of what stayed and what left, and reminding him of his end goals of writing a book and having a more spiritual life.

If anything in these shows seems too familiar to you, and you are currently experiencing distress about your the condition of your home, please give me a call or send me an e-mail. I'm happy to talk to you about the issue of compulsive hoarding and where you might find some help.

You are worth it. You deserve it. And you can do it. The first step is asking for help.

Margaret Pearson Pinkham, CPO-CD®
margaret@organizeinharmony.com
(707) 823-3479

If you are not in my area (Sonoma County in Northern CA), please visit the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) website to find a professional organizer trained in these special issues.

A great little book to read is Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David Tolin, Randy Frost and Gail Skeketee. It speaks to both the person with the hoarding issues and has sidebars written to family members or loved ones who are trying to help or understand. Great primer for "do's and don'ts" when helping a person to clean their home.

The S-P-O-R-T of downsizing

Whatever your reason for downsizing right now (the economy, a senior moving to a smaller home, or just too much clutter, etc.), the benefits may surprise you–saved money in storage fees, more room in your house due to less "stuff," or even more room in your life due to the extra space you have created! Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not, I do believe that when you create open areas in your living space, you invite a new energy and vitality to come and reside with you, too!

Here's a positive spin I call the "S-P-O-R-T" technique! (Think about if you want this to be an individual or "team" sport. Having a friend to be accountable to while doing this makes it easier and can make the time fly!)

S–Sort
P–Purge
O–Organize
R–Relax and Reward
T–Treasure

S–Sort
Sort your stuff so you know what you have! You can approach this in a number of ways, whether you are looking at a storage unit or an entire house. Start slow, one step at a time, so it doesn't overwhelm you.

Sorting can mean putting like things with like. For example, gather all your bathroom items in one pile, pull all your towels out of the linen closet, or look at all your mixing bowls and baking items at once. Often, my clients will see just how many items they have of one thing, and the next step (purging) becomes so much easier. "Wow, I didn't realize I owned 15 flashlights!" (Or 42 bath towels or 21 bottles of shampoo–you get the idea!)

Another way to sort is room by room, cabinet by cabinet or even drawer by drawer, making an assumption that you have already "sorted" the things in your house to a degree. This is a good technique if you are easily overwhelmed by the idea of sorting everything you own. Just think of it in 15-30 minute segments–one drawer, one cabinet. See what's in there and "define the space." "This is my baking cabinet." "This drawer is for large utensils." Again, you'll see the wisdom here in the next step.

P–Purge
It isn't the prettiest word in our language, but at least it rhymes with "urge." I like to repeat to myself in an upbeat manner "I've got the urge to purge, I've got the urge to purge." Remember Flip Wilson's "Here come da judge, here come da judge"? Kind of like that! In fact, you are the judge! (See a Laugh-in clip with Sammy Davis, Jr. as the judge here.) So repeat after me, "Here come da judge and I got the urge to purge! Here come da judge and I got the urge to purge!"

So now the pile of bath towels is in front of you. How many do you really need? Too many means more work and less space–more laundry, more folding, more putting away, less room in the linen closet to store other things. How many people live with you? Figure on at least 2 towels per person, then just keep a few extra for guests. Purge out the old, ratty stained and torn ones. The same rule of thumb can be applied to sheets (and nearly everything else) as well. Two sets for each bed in your house. (Maybe a few extra if you have a child in the midst of potty training!)

Do you really need 21 bottles of shampoo? Throw out the old stuff, keep a few good ones and remember not to buy shampoo for awhile. Staring at your makeup drawer? Good chance you can just throw it all out. Most makeup should be replaced every few months to reduce the chance of it spoiling and causing you eye or skin problems. Another great reason to only buy the bare minimum, date it when you open it and throw it out when time is up.

Eighteen mixing bowls you say? Hmmm–reconsider how much baking you really do. Again, bring it down to your minimums. Keep 2-3 bowls of different sizes, especially ones that do double duty. A nice mixing bowl can also be a salad bowl. A mixing bowl with a lid can be a storage container.

If you are using the "cabinet by cabinet" technique and you have defined the cabinet ("Baking items"), and you come across odd things that don't belong (a tennis ball, a toy, etc.)–just pull them out and put them in a box marked "Belongs elsewhere." If you can't make a purge right then, leave it in the box for when you do come across where it really belongs and then make the decision once you see its "cabinet-mates."

And of course, keep a few bins or bags handy for trash, recycling and give-away.

O–Organize
This is the fun part! You've already done the hard stuff. And if you've done it well, you have less stuff to organize. That's the real trick here. For most of my clients who think they have trouble organizing, it's really that they just had too much stuff. Of course it was impossible to organize! But once they see what's left–the good stuff they really love–it's no longer overwhelming, and they seem to click right into organizing mode!

You have already sorted, so like is with like. (Yes, that is actually organizing right there!)

Now think about how and when you are going to use it. Box it and store it? (Yes? Then think again about keeping it unless you know you will be using it in the future.) Keep it handy in a "prime real estate" spot? Use it once or twice a month and shove it back into a corner? Something to look at and admire daily in a special place of honor?

R–Relax and Reward
Take a break and do something nice for yourself. Every time you complete the "completion chemistry" cycle, bask in the accomplishment, even if you've just done a little drawer or one square foot of space. You signal your brain that this is a good thing. And your brain will get used to it, like it and want to do it again!

Thinking ahead about your reward is also wonderful motivation. Hmmm, a long soak in the tub? A cup of coffee? A walk around the block? Watching one favorite TV show? A piece of chocolate? Ten minutes reading that new novel? A phone call to a friend? Internet surfing? You get the idea.

Set yourself up. Reward yourself. Reap what you sow.

T–Treasure
Treasure yourself. Treasure the moment, treasure your accomplishment, treasure your treasures that you've chosen to keep.

Treasure the fact that this process helps you realize what is truly important to you and what is just stuff.

Hoarding and Cluttering Conference October 29 in SF

SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: The Westin San Francisco Market Street Hotel, 50 Third Street @ Market
Keynote Speaker: David Tolin, Ph.D.

Click here to see more information or copy and paste this address: http://www.mha-sf.org/programs/hcconf.cfm.

Compulsive hoarding and cluttering refers to the acquisition of and failure to discard a large number of possessions, which appear to be useless or of limited value, in an attempt to decrease stress and anxiety. This serious and prevalent problem can lead to eviction and homelessness. It is often a feature of several psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder and major depression, and can be caused or aggravated by problems associated with increasing age or physical disabilities.

NOTE: I have attended this incredible conference in the past. It is open to anyone who is affected by these issues: persons with compulsive hoarding issues, friends and family members, professional organizers, therapists, social workers, health professionals, state and county service providers, etc.

Dr. David Tolin is one of the three co-authors of "Buried in Treasures-Help for Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring" (See my 'Carousel of Books' below to order them from Amazon) and was the psychologist seen on the two-part Oprah Winfrey show helping the woman whose large house was full of stuff.

Persimmon Tree, Very Pretty

The garden metaphors for organizing just keep coming at me. Not that I'm really doing much gardening, although I'm thinking about it. Besides, it's raining now, so I CAN'T go out and garden...

As it is softly misting in my back yard, I can see that our little persimmon tree is beginning to leaf out. (Yes, this is California and we've been having a beautiful–and early–Spring.)

This tree is a survivor like no other. When we bought this house about 3 years ago, it was quite tall and even had some persimmons on it. But it was misshapen and a very sad thing to look at. It is near our back fence, which had a huge growth of blackberries on the other side. These things are prehistoric remnants that I know will cover the earth someday if we ever do have a cataclysmic event. They and the cockroaches will rule. But I digress....

Not only had the blackberry vines entwined themselves into this tree, but a climbing rose had also declared the persimmon its habitat. It was a tall tree, but it really only had about a fourth of its crown that it should have had. The blackberries and roses had overtaken the tree on the back side and it was only a persimmon tree in the front.

I made the heart-wrenching decision to let the gardener cut it down, thinking I would soon plant one or two redwoods in its place, to complete a row (and privacy to our yard) of three others.

Well, procrastination does have its place now and then, (don't tell anyone I said this), and the next summer, a beautiful, healthy straight shoot came out of the little stump. Since the blackberries and rose had been cut back, it now had all the light and room it needed.

It did branch and leaf out last summer, although it did not bear fruit. It is now entering its second season of its second life, and it is a (shorter) but very beautiful and symmetric tree.

My connection with this tree to organizing? Yes, I'm getting to that.

Think about the clutter you may have in your home or life. Is it choking out the life in you, creating a lopsided version of you because it overshadows who you really are? If you cut it all out, would you then be able to grow straight and tall (so to speak), basking (basquing if you are Portuguese) in the sunlight now available to you? Able to bloom and fruit to your full extent instead of just a small percentage?

Yes, keeping the "blackberries" at bay will be a constant chore, but I can keep up with it a little at a time, especially since I can see how "happy" my persimmon tree is now. And now that I can see its full beauty.

How is your persimmon tree?

Are you ready for a new season with a new life?

Compulsive Hoarding, Part I

I just attended a day-long seminar put on by the Institute on Aging in San Francisco, called Clutter Addiction and Hoarding. This was a completely separate event from the Mental Health Association's annual Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering.

There were at least 200-300 people in attendance. That was the part that astounded me.

I'll be writing more in the next few weeks about the complex issue of Compulsive Hoarding and all the attention it's gotten in the last several months–special episodes on Oprah, Dr. Phil and all those organizing shows, some of which touch on the most severe cases only occasionally.

This issue has finally come "out of the closet" so to speak. Well it had to because the closet was full.

I had never known about hoarding personally while growing up, although my parents did help "clean" a friend's house after she had broken her wrist and ankle. They had described to me what they found. (Absolutely all the earmarks of a hoarder, as I now know.) Little trails through the house–the only place you could walk. Piles of papers and stuff. Present after present that had never been given away. Just another crazy social worker, I thought.

I've been studying the issue of hoarding ever since I joined the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) in 2005. It was fascinating. I wanted to know more and certainly be "prepared" for when I might have a client in this situation. What have I learned? Oh, so much. And that it's hard to be truly prepared.

What I have learned is this: compulsive hoarding is as much a disease as alcoholism is. It's hard to understand, difficult to live with (or impossible) and there's no easy cure. That's what researchers are looking at now--how can people who have this issue be helped? What really is the problem? Is it in the brain? In the mind? In the heart? A combination of all these? I think yes.

What has become clear to me is not the answers, but the questions that now must be asked.

How do we help?

How do we fund this help?

How can we remain compassionate while looking for the answers and trying to help?

How do we get communities involved?

Since this is such a closeted illness, researchers are hard-pressed to give accurate numbers as to how many among us might have hoarding issues. One or two percent? Possibly 5%. That means in every large church group of 500 or more, there are 5 to 25 people who are living with this illness and maybe many more who are affected–children, relatives, friends, even pets.

In the next few installments, I will define Compulsive Hoarding, talk about the "what-not-to-dos" that well-meaning friends or loved ones might think is right. As well as give some resources for help. And probably come up with a few more questions. Maybe someone out there has some answers.

If you want more information right away, read "Buried in Treasures" (in the book list at the bottom) or visit the following websites. They have a tremendous amount of information about what this condition is, information to help you help yourself or a loved one, and links to more resources.

This is one iceberg that is just beginning to melt and we are feeling the affects of the flood.

Children of Hoarders
Squalor Survivors
Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Hoarding Website
National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization

'Ware oh 'wear has all my clutter gone? Oh 'Ware, oh 'wear can it be?
(Two easy steps to reducing dirty piles.)

No, those are not typos. (Or "typoes" if you are Dan Quayle.)

In one of my tip sheets entitled "Riding the Laundry Cycle," I make mention of purging your clothing in order to simply have less of it around to wash. It's a simple idea, really and I'm going to take it a step further to help you build the habit of doing the laundry on a routine schedule.

Certainly, if you have less laundry, you will have fewer clothes that must be washed--you will be forced to do laundry much sooner if you don't have 365 outfits and try to do 52 loads of laundry on New Year's Eve. But I can help you get to the washer much sooner.

What usually makes you start a load?

Underwear? Yep, that's most people's answer. And how many pairs (lets just count the "shorts" for men and "panties" for the ladies) do you own? If it's more than 8, you could be in trouble.

In college, I had the unfortunate luck to overhear another student say she owned 30 pairs, and therefore only had to to laundry once a month. I thought that was a grand idea. (Kind of OK for a college student, but it wasn't working for me 15 years later.)

Why not limit yourself to 7 or 8 pairs? Having eight lets you do laundry once a week while still wearing one pair. (Nice, especially if you use a laundromat.) A client kindly pointed out that you would need to have an equal number of light/white and dark pairs for this to work should you decide to do laundry more than once a week and presort (as I suggest) the lights from the darks. Or have 8 that are all light or all dark.

Yes, (talking mostly to the ladies here) you can still have some of those "special" (read "pretty but not so comfortable") sets, but you must promise not to wear them once your "everyday" stuff is dirty or you'll be back to where you started. With too many loads to wash in your one or two precious days off.

So, that's the "Wear." Now what about the "Ware" you ask?
Tell me now about another area of the house where stuff stacks up to be washed....

Yep, the kitchen. We're talking about dinnerWARE and silverWARE now. The same rule applies here.

Limit how many of these things you have in your kitchen and can use before you are forced to load up (or eek, wash by hand) the dishwasher and run it. One summer I worked in Yosemite and had a tiny little space to myself and no dishwasher. I took with me only 2 plates, 2 glasses and 2 sets of silverware. If company was coming, heck, they were told to bring their own. (Having more than 2 people in this "space" was hard enough anyway!) It was so easy to just get in the habit of cleaning my ware right after using it. And of course, putting it all away was a breeze, too!

Now, I'm not saying you must limit yourself to 2 items, but do think about limiting what you keep on hand what you might use at one meal, or maybe in one day if there are only one or two people in your household. You don't have to toss your other dishes or silverware, but put them away in an inconvenient place so you will only get them out when company is coming. But if you have 89 spoons and tend to use them all before you do the dishes, then you are surely in need of a sort and purge day.

So, just limit your Wares/Wears and you will be on the road to starting new habits that reduce the messy-dirty-giant-pile/stack-needs-to-be-washed clutter in your home.

Chronic Disorganization, ADD and Hoarding, Oh My!

October was the month of conferences and I'm glad we'll be heading into the quiet weeks of just major family holidays!

It was actually the end of September when I attended the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) Annual Conference in Mt. Laurel, NJ. We had two main wonderful speakers whose expertise was in ADD and people who hoard. Both areas are such huge issues right now in the field and it was great to hear the most up-to-date information. Among the attendees, we realized that collaborative therapy (client, therapist and organizer) is the way to go with our clients in great need. We'll be bringing this message to the world of therapists and coaches in the next few years! On a personal (and professional) note, I sat for my Level III peer review and received my official CPO-CD (Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization) title and lapel pin. Sixteen months of study and mentoring have come to a close! And yet the work continues....

Conference #2 was the ADDA Regional Conference in San Francisco. (Attention Deficit Disorder Association) Again, more wonderful information about adult ADD.

Conference #3 just wrapped up this last weekend in San Ramon. The NAPO-SFBA (National Association of Professional Organizers-San Francisco Bay Area) held their regional conference. I co-presented a session with colleague Kim Anker-Paddon (soon to be of the LA area) on ADD with a twist. We called it "Nature and Nurture: It all A.D.D.s up!" Kim spoke on the "traditional" organizer ways to help our clients with ADD (or AD/HD--same thing) and I spoke about some new ideas I am using about how nature and other natural methods can help people focus. (Some great studies have been done by Stephen Kaplan and Andrea Faber Taylor and Frandces Kuo.) I'll write more about these ideas and studies soon.

I actually passed on another great conference in SF--the Mental Health Association's Hoarding and Cluttering Conference. There just wasn't enough time for me to attend this one, but Kim did and she said it was wonderful. I attended last year and heard Randy Frost speak. He is one of the authors of the new book "Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring and Hoarding." Also a must-read for anyone who has this issue or has a loved one with hoarding problems. The problem is more widespread than anyone can imagine--and such a heartache for all involved. Marin County is starting a task force on the situation.

Well, there is certainly enough fodder in my last month of conferences to blog daily for quite awhile. Please tune in soon for more detailed information about all the topics mentioned today.

Have a Happy (and safe) Halloween!
Margaret,