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Productivity & Organized - We'll Help You Find Your Way

Contact: Stephanie L. H. Calahan

A: 8 Shoreline Court, Suite 100, Bloomington IL 61704

T: 309.826.5263 (day)  309.825.7833 (evening)

F: 309.422.7665

E: questions@calahansolutions.com

Images: Available upon request

Oprah's 2-Part Series on Hoarding - Another Point of View

Local Productivity and Organization Consultant Comments on Complexities of working with Those that Hoard

BLOOMINGTON, IL – November 21, 2007 --  Calahan Solutions consultants have been hit with phone calls, emails and conversations this week asking about hoarding.

• "Did you see the hoarders on Oprah?!  That was done up for the show right?"
• "I feel better now, my place is not that bad!"
• "I no longer feel alone.  I know there is help!"

were all comments the consultants heard.

These comments have followed from the two-part show that aired on November 15th and 16th (http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200711/tows_past_20071115.jhtml) featuring Peter Walsh (professional organizer) and Dr. David Tolin, one of the authors of Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding.

"We are getting contacted by people that want to help family members as well as those that would like help themselves," stated founder Stephanie Calahan.  The stories that unfold are always heart-tugging stories.  There are many challenges to working with someone that has serious organization challenges.  There are many different forms of help for someone that hoards.  Even the well-intentioned person can sometimes unwittingly become part of an “intervention” that does more harm than benefit in the long run.

All consultants that work for Calahan Solutions, Inc. are required to be active members of the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) - a non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization whose mission is to educate professional organizers and related professionals on the issues relating to Chronic Disorganization.  Founder Stephanie Calahan and Independent Consultant Ellen Hankes have both earned study certificates from the NSGDC that focus on the needs of those that struggle with hoarding.  If you are considering helping a loved one or finding help yourself as a result of watching the Oprah show, Calahan and Hankes offer the following:

Make sure you have a realistic view of how long the process takes

• Both Peter Walsh and Dr. Tolin repeatedly pointed that out to viewers during the program, noting that this was “not finished” even though the home was restored and looked beautiful at the close.
• The process of clearing and cleaning for the show took eight solid weeks
• The process involved 100 people.
• It took 2500 “man-hours” just to remove the clutter from the house.
• The process may take months or even years for recovery.

Make sure you have a realistic view of possible outcomes

• Hoarding disorder is complex and unique to every individual.  There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
• Health and safety concerns can be serious and organizers must have a level of training commensurate with these extreme levels of clutter.
  
• What we witnessed on Oprah was real, however, it was also not typical.
• Most hoarders (and anyone else for that matter) are not going to be happy having all of the contents of their homes spread onto sectioned-off tarp-covered areas of their expansive front lawns, either!
• The hoarder must be motivated to fully participate and change behavior for this process to be truly successful or even initiated.
• Therapeutic intervention in addition to organizing services is frequently necessary for sustainable behavioral changes.
• The best case situation is where the individual has the support of a therapist who understands hoarding behavior as well as a collaborative relationship with a trained professional organizer. 

Are you wondering how to evaluate your situation?

The following definition of clinical hoarding was developed in 1996 by Dr. Randy Frost and T. Hartl:. (1) the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be of useless or of limited value; (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed; and (3) significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding.

Clutterers, as opposed to hoarders, are able to throw things away and take out the trash. They are unlikely to allow their clutter to get to such an extreme point that it is debilitating to their lives. Their clutter doesn't restrict their freedom or comfort to the extreme that a hoarder’s accumulations do.

The NSGCD Clutter-Hoarding Scale is an assessment measurement tool, developed by the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) to give professional organizers and related professionals definitive parameters. These parameters relate to health and safety.  You can find the scale for self-use at: http://www.nsgcd.org/resources/clutterhoardingscale.php.

Available Resources

• OCD Foundation  -  http://www.ocfoundation.org/
• Understanding OCD Hoarding  - http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/hoarding.html
• Research Projects  -  http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/hoarding2_rp.html
• Discover Magazine – October 2004 – Mary Duenwald The Psychology of Hoarding –Conspicuous Consumption - What Lies Beneath  -  http://www.discover.com/issues/oct-04/departments/psychology-of-hoarding/

About Calahan Solutions, Inc.: (www.calahansolutions.com) is a premier professional productivity and organization consulting firm, serving a national and local clientele in corporate settings, home-based businesses, and residential environments.  Calahan Solutions, Inc. is a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), NSGCD (the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization), NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and the BBB (Better Business Bureau.) 

You Don't Have to Do it Our Way, Because We Help You Find YOUR Way! ™

Visit www.calahansolutions.com for free tips, free organizing reports, downloads, organizing products and service offerings. 

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For more information:
Contact: Stephanie L. H. Calahan

T: 309.826.5263 (day)  309.825.7833 (evening)

A:  8 Shoreline Court, Suite 100, Bloomington IL 61704

E: questions@calahansolutions.com

W: http://www.calahansolutions.com

Images: Available upon request