The new A&E Show HOARDERS is really creating a buzz in our industry and I am trying to decide how I feel about it. First, let me say that I know the Professional Organizers featured on this show personally and I have a great deal of respect for their work. My comments relate to the show and how it is produced more than the actually work they are doing.

Although the show “spotlights” organizing and bring attention to a segment of the population we serve, I am not sure it portrays the process well. I have concerns anytime a show has to document a long process over a very short time and accentuates the drama more than the growth. This can make actual hoarding clients shy away from getting help. A typical hoarder client is trying to change the way they think about their stuff and figure out why they are holding and collecting so much stuff. The process is SLOW as they relearn and reframe. Trust is a huge factor. Time is spent making small changes to the “rules” and often that means organizers are working at the hoarder’s pace and making small changes at first. This leads to real learning and an increased chance of results that last. In my experience working at a rapid pace stresses out a hoarding client and they are unable to continue. The work is painstaking at first but learning occurs and the work gets easier as these clients build their decision making muscles.

The show features people who are usually facing eviction and have literally run out of options. At least they are making some movement, and it obviously takes that kind of situation to make a move, but it is like a crash diet the results don’t hold. One thing the show does do is to provide $4,500.00 of after-care to help these people recover from this event and work on their issues. The concern of trauma and maintenance are much higher when the process is forced and accelerated. The danger here is that people who watch this may think that they can just start dumping out their loved ones things over a weekend to address the problem and that is so much more than that. My inbox has been flooded with people who have watched this show and have decided that “they can do this” — and with training, they can. The lead organizers on the show have been specially trained in this specialty.

I guess the exposure is good, but they should be careful to educate the audience to make sure that hoarders who need our help understand that the real process is slower, less dramatic and they have much more control. They also need to know that there are organizers specifically trained for this and compassionate help is out there.