Peace of Mind Organizing

The power of Oprah

20 November 2007

Thursday and Friday of last week (November 15 and 16), Oprah had a two-part show on hoarding. It was riveting viewing. I was so pleased that they gave the subject its due, treated the hoarder who was featured (and helped) with respect and brought in experts who were spot-on in their advice and assistance.

For some info about the shows, check out Oprah’s website.

Peter Walsh, the organizer on the TLC show Clean Sweep was the professional organizer who worked with the hoarding couple. He was assisted by (gulp) 100 people and it took them eight weeks to clean out and refurbish this couple’s extremely cluttered home.

David F. Tolin, Ph.D., a leading expert on hoarding, also spoke with the client and, on the show, addressed the need for hoarders to receive psychological help in order to address their behavior. I wish Dr. Tolin had had more air time on the show, since his message is so important, but his resources are available on Oprah’s website, above.

After the shows aired, I immediately felt the impact. My phone started to ring and the emails started coming in. Peter Walsh mentioned NAPO as a place to find organizers, which I think will probably prove to be a boon to the organization and the profession. I only wish he’d mentioned the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, since a higher proportion of their members are trained to work with these types of clients.

Whether these inquiries will turn into clients remains to be seen. The process of dealing with extreme clutter can be very expensive, both monetarily and emotionally. But for those clients who are ready and who are getting the proper professional assistance, it can be life changing.

Tagged with: david tolin, hoarding, oprah, peter walsh

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