Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring - Softcover

Tompkins PhD Abpp, Michael A; Hartl, Tamara L

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1572245948 ISBN 13: 9781572245945

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, 2009

Synopsis

Many people who hoard understand the extent of their problem and are open to help. This book is not for them. Digging Out is for the concerned and frustrated friends and family members of people who do not fully accept the magnitude of their hoarding problem and refuse help from others. If you have a friend or loved one with a hoarding problem and are seeking a way to guide him or her to a healthier, safer way of life, this book is for you.

In Digging Out, you will find a complete guide to helping your loved one with a hoarding problem live safely and comfortably in his or her home or apartment. Included are realistic harm reduction strategies that you can use to help your loved one manage health and safety hazards, avoid eviction, and motivate him or her to make long-term lifestyle changes. You'll learn how to handle a roommate or spouse with a hoarding problem, identify and work through special considerations that may arise when the person who hoards is frail and elderly, and receive guidance for healing strained relationships between people who hoard and their friends and family. Take heart. With this book as a guide, you can help your loved one live more comfortably and safely, salvage your damaged relationship, and restore your peace of mind.

About this title

Review

"If your loved one has a problem with compulsive saving, this book can help you both save what really counts--yourselves! With equal parts compassion, wisdom, and practicality, Michael Tompkins and Tamara Hartl offer step-by-step instructions for helping family members and friends with hoarding challenges. The authors' passion for their work comes through on every page, and their extensive experience is evident in every nugget of advice they offer."
--Jeff Bell, author of When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty

About the Author

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist who is board certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology. He is codirector of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy; assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley; Diplomate and Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy; and trainer and consultant for the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He is author or coauthor of numerous scholarly articles and chapters on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and related topics, as well as seven books.

Tamara L. Hartl, PhD, is an independent clinical practitioner in Saratoga, CA, and a psychologist at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. She has coauthored several seminal publications on hoarding behavior, including the first cognitive-behavioral model for the treatment of compulsive hoarding with Randy Frost. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders and sexual dysfunction as well as compulsive hoarding.

read an excerpt - Read an interview -

Foreword writer Randy O. Frost, PhD, teaches abnormal psychology at Smith College in Northampton, MA. He is coauthor of Buried in Treasures.

Gail Steketee, PhD, is a professor and co-chair in the department of clinical practice at the School of Social Work at Boston University. She is coauthor of Buried in Treasures.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1572245948
• ISBN 13: 9781572245945
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208