Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Update

Several things to be aware of as we approach our Fall agenda:

There will be no task force meeting in September - our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 9:30 at the Beverly Council on Aging


  • The following is information from A & E's television series - Hoarders:

"Hoarders on A&E is now in its third season. We are actively searching for hoarders and their famlies willing to share their stories in this groundbreaking documentary television series that sheds much needed light on this complicated and often “secret” condition.


We will provide free and compassionate services for the hoarder which will include but not limited to mental health support, professional organizers, and professional cleanup and/or junk removal services. Our goal is to help the hoarder and their families take a big step on the road to recovery from this disorder. If there are other agencies already involved, our goal is to work with them and the hoarder to come up with the best possible outcome for those impacted by the hoard.

Hoarders chosen to be profiled in this series will also be offered a significant “after-care” package that will ensure ongoing mental health and/or organizational support. Each case will be considered on an individual basis and services will be tailored to fit the individual’s needs. All of our professionals have experience in treating this population and are appropriately trained and credentialed.

We are looking for individuals who are willing to spend 4 days sharing their stories on camera. We understand that compulsive hoarding is an extremely emotional and difficult disorder. Therefore, it is our hope that by sharing the personal stories it will help others realize they are not alone. We will also share the right way for families and friends to approach a hoarder to hopefully avoid contentious and dangerous living environments.

What we are looking for:

1. Individuals willing to tell their story.
2. Individuals motivated to change by a ticking clock or crisis caused by hoarding that needs to be addressed immediately.
3. We need to show how the hoarding has impacted friends and/or loved ones. These individuals will need to appear on camera and share their side of the story.

If you or someone you know is a compulsive hoarder, please go to our website at http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/ for more information and to apply.

You can also email us at Hoarders@sfpseattle.com or call
our toll free hotline 1-877- 492-1722"




  • A focus group will be sponsored by the Greater Boston Regional Hoarding Network. The group is comprised of 6 community agencies in collaboration with one another for the purpose of helping regional communities develop and institutionalize a multidisciplinary coordinated response to hoarding. The information garnered through the focus group will aid the Network in achieving this goal.

  • The Intensive Skills Training in Hoarding Disorder Intervention is a four-week program that will provide you with the skills for intervening in complex cases of hoarding disorder. Taught by Dr. Christiana Bratiotis, Dr. Jordana Muroff and Boston University School of Social Work Dean Gail Steketee, this specialized cognitive behavioral treatment protocol was developed by Drs. Gail Steketee and Randy Frost.

    Each week will focus on particular clinical skills, including: assessment, model building and treatment planning, skill building, cognitive therapy, exposure, and motivational interviewing.

    Recent research into hoarding disorder and community-level intervention will be integrated into the course and participants will have opportunities to present cases, develop specific treatment plans, and practice effective therapeutic methods for working with this challenging disorder.

    The class begins Tuesday September 7 and runs for four consecutive weeks from 6-9 pm, ending on September 28 and will be held at Boston University School of Social Work. You will receive 12 CEs, and the tuition is $375+ an application fee of $25. Please register online at www.bu.edu/ssw/pep.

  • Northeast Senior Health's SenNet Breakfast this month will be Hoarding: How a Community Responds. I'll be speaking on a panel along with Laurie Grant, LCSW and Hoarding Outreach Specialist from GLSS and Shelly Luckenbill, Esq. and Protective Services Supervisor from NSES.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Update

Task Force Members:  We are not attending the May 4th meeting held at North Shore Elder Services.   NSES is meeting with members in their catchment area that day.  We will let you know when a future task force meeting has been established.

Updates

Meeting notes April 8, 2010: 

The final version of the Beverly Hoarding Task Force brochure is complete!  Thank you all for your help on this project.  If you would like a copy please let Laurie or Teri know and we will send it out in the mail.

Clutterbugs support group, is going well... the group is journaling goals and reporting back to the group.  The group will continue to meet in May, the 1st and 3rd Thursday.  If you are available to co-facilitate please let Laurie know.  The dates for May:  the 6th and 20th, 10-11:30 a.m.

North Shore regionalizing, we are in the process now of working with North Shore Elder Services to move towards a North Shore Task Force.  More info to follow!!

As a group we went over our successes and celebrated the work we have accomplished over the past 4 years.  The group is ready to merge with North Shore Elder Services so that we can gain new members and work towards larger scale projects.

A meeting date has been set for June 10th at 9a.m. for the next meeting, held at the Beverly Senior Center.  We will keep this meeting date for now, so plan on attending, unless you hear otherwise.    

Friday, April 2, 2010

Updates

Update:




The Regional meeting hosted by MASSHOUSING on March 22nd was a huge success... 120 people attended from all over the North Shore. The workshop included an educational presentation Hoarding 101, a description of the new hoarding assessment tool, and some time to share projects the Beverly Hoarding Task Force has accomplished and that we are working on this year ... also we used the time to invite new people to attend.


The clutterbugs support group has officially met two times. The group has already celebrated successes from some of its members! The group will continue to meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at the Beverly Senior Center.  If you would like to refer someone to the program we ask that they speak to Teri or myself, Laurie before they attend the first meeting (978) 921-6017.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Meeting, February 11, 2010

Thank you to the group for another great meeting.  We had a full agenda and a good discussion.
At the meeting:
  •  We went over our brochure, still working on final updates- hoping to finally have this complete by the end of the week!
  • The plan for the Clutterbug support group was discussed.  Hoping to start the group on March 18th! Location to be determined, time 10-11:15 a.m. 
  • The Regional Statewide Hoarding Committee is hosting a regional meeting at the Beverly Senior Center, the date will be Monday, March 22nd, time 9-11.  Registration should have been sent to everyone on our listserv, if you did not receive an invitation please register at http://www.masshousing.com/
  • NS Elder Services funding to form a north shore task force was discussed.  We will keep everyone updated on the time line and when we can expect to start working together  
  • Information was shared regarding the Cape Ann Time Bank

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Training Opportunity

Friends of the School of Social Work 14th Annual Professional Development

Workshop
Buried in Treasures - Understanding and Treating Hoarding
Presented by Gail Steketee, PhD, MSW
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Veterans Hall, Ellison Campus Center

Salem, Massachusetts

9 am-1 pm
Earn 3.0 CEUs or PDPs

Attendees: $30
Current Salem State student: $15

Questions? Contact Alumni Affairs at

alumni@salemstate.edu or 978.542.7530.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Opportunity for help

The production company, Discovery Studies, is putting together a documentary on hoarding.  If you know of someone that is ready for help they will provide cleaning services and therapy in exchange for their willingness to tell their story. Please contact Candice at (240) 662-4163 asap.