By April MacIntyre Sep 2, 2009, 3:59 GMT
A&E's most popular new series, "Hoarders," delves into the world of extreme hoarding, a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to collect things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary.
Geralin Thomas, founder of Metropolitan Organizing, LLC, has helped small business owners, corporate executives, artists, politicians, professional athletes, and many other individuals and families live more productive and balanced lives.
The seven episode one-hour series airs Mondays at 10:00PM ET/PT.
About Geralin:
Geralin Thomas, founder of Metropolitan Organizing, LLC, (http://www.metropolitanorganizing.com) helped small business owners, corporate executives, artists, politicians, professional athletes, and many other individuals and families live more productive and balanced lives.
As a Certified Professional Organizer specializing in Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD®), she believes that anyone can learn to manage their lives, and when given the proper tools and support, create an environment where they are able to thrive.
She has served as Past President for the North Carolina Chapter of Professional Organizers and is an instructor for both NSGCD and NAPO Educational Courses including Introduction to Professional Organizing.
Geralin is the featured organizing expert on A&E's new show, "Hoarders" and has previously appeared on NBC’s The Today Show and Fine Living Network’s time management program "Time Makeover," which airs in the U.S., Canada, and Africa.
She has also shared simple tips for organization on NBC-17, Cary Magazine, and North Carolina Journal for Women.
Geralin provides techniques and solutions delivered with a touch of humor that lead to healthier and more peaceful lives.
Monsters and Critics was fortunate to be granted an interview with professional organizer Geralin Thomas from A&E's "Hoarders."
Think about your own house for a second. Is there an area of your house so messy, so disorganized that it pains you to even look upon it?
You aren’t alone. On Hoarders, A&E producers find people who are literally drowning in their own mess, and don’t have the power to get out.
Ms. Thomas has dedicated her life to helping people who suffer from severe hoarding, and appears on the show to help these people regain control. She has shared her wisdom regarding Hoarders and her experiences with people who can’t part with their possessions.
How did you get involved with the series Hoarders and what is your role in the episodes you are featured in?
Geralin: Hoarders are a population I enjoy working with tremendously. I find it disappointing that there is such a stigma placed on mental health conditions such as hoarding. I have worked with hoarders for a while, but when I was offered an opportunity to work with them on film I leapt at the opportunity. I was optimistic that the show would pull the topic of hoarding out of the closet, but the show has busted the door right off the hinges!
Educating the public about both hoarding itself as well as organizer-therapist collaborations, encourages those seeking treatment to collaborate with psychotherapists and qualified professional organizers.
Most often, hoarders find themselves unable to de-clutter without the benefit of a well-oiled support system.
Hoarders is attracting huge audiences each week. Why do you think people are so fascinated by this show?
Geralin: For those either curious about or currently dealing with the challenges of hoarding, this groundbreaking series both inspires hope and initiates the exchange of encouraging dialogue.
The show is an exciting catalyst for continued education and research. I do feel that it is especially important for those watching at home to realize that hoarding isn’t cured as soon as the cameras leave.
I can’t stress that enough. It would be misleading if anyone, including the subjects of the show thought otherwise.
Many critics say that simply cleaning out a hoarder’s home and organizing it doesn’t really help long term in changing behavior. How do you combat that criticism? Do you work with doctors and other behavioral specialists to help these clients overcome their compulsive behaviors?
Geralin: Making decisions on behalf of the hoarder, cleaning out a hoarder’s house, or throwing everything out, in no way changes a hoarder’s belief system or behavior. It can in fact do more harm than good.
The hoarding client must both want help AND be willing to make the needed changes. The process requires an investment of both time and energy. It is a long, exhausting and frustrating commitment for the hoarder, but fundamental to bringing about long-term change.
Here is a list of helpful resources for anyone in need:
http://idek.net/RJv
Is your approach to helping hoarders organize different than other clients? If so, how is it different? Do you have specialized training to help hoarders?
Geralin: Through NSGCD I am a Certified Professional Organizer specializing in Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD) and have a certificate of study in basic hoarding issues. Helping hoarders is distinctly different from assisting non-hoarding clients.
Hoarders are not “just” pack-rats or clutterbugs; editing a hoarder’s possessions requires the perfect medley of patience, practiced skill, and education fueled by experience.
I work the entire gambit, from hoarders, pack-rats and clutterbugs, to ‘ordinary disorganized’ people.
How do you think Hoarders affects public perceptions of hoarding and other OCD disorders?
Geralin: One of the things I love most about the show is that it provides the public with an armchair view of a hoarder’s home. The majority of viewers are supportive; cheering on the hoarder while applauding the bravery it takes to broadcast their homes and lives to a film crew.
Best of all, viewers can witness the different approaches and various techniques being used.
Personally, I prefer a ‘team approach’ where several organizers are brought in to sort and purge while I work individually with the client. When emotional issues arise, I remind them that these are issues they should discuss with their therapist and that we have a job to do.
My goal is that the client is understood, supported and cared for. I am painfully honest about expectations and feel it is important for them to realize that they will be experiencing some discomfort.
I stay beside them the entire journey and when they decide they want me in the drivers seat, I am always willing to take the wheel. I also think viewers are inspired to ultimately buy less stuff.
And in addition, I believe the show holds the potential to motivate masses of American viewers to get organized and develop their own internal efficiency.
What is your personal philosophy of organization? Why is it important? And why did you choose this as a profession?
Geralin: Well, for starters I don’t think organizing is a one-size fits all task. Everyone has a different vision of what being organized looks like. I don’t subscribe to the “OHIO” rule (Only Handle It Once) and I’m not rigid about everything being perfect.
I usually roll my eyes when I read most organizing “rules” because I prefer a much more organic process –– life evolves, so should our systems and processes.
I prefer customized, individually tailored organizing plans. Everyone benefits from being organized, including uber-creative, visual types.
I’ve been organizing as long as I can remember. Even as a young girl I appreciated having quality over quantity. I was emphatic about keeping only one Barbie and wanted nothing to do with any of her friends.
Instead of dating Ken, my Barbie stayed in on Saturday nights organizing her dream home & evening gown collection which was color-coded in ROY G. BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Indigo, Violet).
Do you follow-up with your hoarding clients to see if they are staying on track?
Geralin: Yes. Typically we begin by focusing on their safety and organization of possessions. Later, after working with their therapist, we can start the process of discarding.
Of course this schedule runs at mock speed for TV, but ideally the therapist, organizer and client all communicate on a regular basis with each other and work in unison when possible.
Do you see a lot of relapses to the old behaviors?
Geralin: Unfortunately yes. Hoarding seems to co-exist with depression and a variety of other mental-health challenges.
I cannot cure anyone and am not near as interested in the diagnosis as I am the symptoms. I can only help with the sorting, purging, classifying and teaching systems to the client. That client must want to make the changes.
The Fact Sheets at http://www.nsgcd.org/resources/factsheets.php are useful tools. Readiness for Change, How Do I Find A Professional Organizer Who Is Right For Me? and Tips for Communicating with the Chronically Disorganized are a few of the titles the public can access.
There seems to be a fine line between “collecting” and “hoarding.” Do you agree?
Geralin: Hoarding is a slippery slope and difficult for many people to clearly classify the differences. I recently wrote a blog post on a related topic. You may read it here: http://idek.net/PYL
Episodes include
TARA / BETTY Episode #3
Premieres August 31 at 10pm/2am ET and PT
Tara has been reported to her landlord and needs to clean out now or she'll be homeless. She's an obsessive collector, favoring things like McDonald's Happy Meal toys, nativity scenes, snow globes and hundreds of teddy bears. Now Tara must finally get control of her hoarding and part with most of the clutter in her home or face eviction.
When fire crews responded to a small fire at Betty's house they discovered her sick husband living in filth. Adult Protective Services removed him from the home because of his medical condition. For the last two months he and Betty have been staying in a hotel--but funds are quickly running out.
If Betty doesn't clean up her home and her yard, he may never be able to live in the home again.
JAKE / SHIRLEY Episode #6
Premieres September 7 at 10pm/2am ET and PT
While most 21-year-olds see a world of possibility in front of them, Jake wakes up every morning despondent at the state of his life – a prisoner to his hoarding and Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (O.C.D.).
Jake compulsively hoards garbage. Snack wrappers, empty bottles, and rotting food are strewn in every room of the two-bedroom town home he shares with his alcoholic father.
Jake fears that if things don’t change soon he may take his own life. Shirley has always been the kind of person who could never turn away a stray cat. But eventually she lost track of just how many cats she had.
When her situation caught the attention of the local authorities, they discovered that every room of her home is cluttered and cat feces and urine soak the carpets and furniture. Now Shirley must cooperate and allow authorities to remove over 75 living and dead cats from her home or face criminal prosecution for animal cruelty.
Your Talkback on this Story