Hoarding Help

In broad-spectrum circumstances, individuals with mental illnesses need help, be it from their families , friends, or other support groups. Moreover, therapies were designed not only for health care providers but also for people who takes part in the treatment of a mentally challenged person. Such therapies were intended for these individuals in order for them to do away with the various kinds of mental illnesses.

In an individual who has the compulsion of excessively acquiring things, a lot of help is really needed. Hoarders are usually not aware of the habits he is doing. He is not in his mental state of mind of doing something rational like most people do. That is why; this kind of person needs help. In a hoarder’s case, hoarding help is usually given to them. Hoarding help composes of treatment, counseling, cleaning up, and lastly doing follow up check-up.

First and foremost, one has to establish rapport with the client. Trust is the basic element in a successful counseling. In counseling, the counselor must set a contract between him and the client. Furthermore, when interacting with the client, one has to use therapeutic communication techniques. Therapeutic communication techniques are verbal and non-verbal responses by the health care provider to show respect and care for their client. Every conversation with the client is very important because most probably in one of those conversations, the client might mention about his feelings and reasons for hoarding. When counseling a hoarder, the person must explain his intention for the activity. He must educate the client about his condition and let the client accept his present condition. Also, one must include in the counseling the explanation of the purpose of cleaning up his home and prior to the clean up, the client must agree and give consent for cleaning up his house. In addition to counseling is introducing the client to some support groups which could help him in dealing with his condition.

Hoarding treatment is also part in helping a person with this kind of disorder. In order for the treatment to be successful, the person must be cooperative and must comply with the medications and therapies. During counseling, the treatment regimen must be clearly explained to the client. This is to gain the client’s collaboration.

After counseling, the next step in hoarding help is the cleaning up phase where unnecessary items from his house will be discarded. The cleaning up phase is the most crucial phase because this might put a big impact to the hoarder. It is in this phase that he is losing something, so as to help the client one must give support to the person and reassure the client that only unnecessary things will be discarded.

Lastly, one must do a follow up care to the individual with hoarding syndrome. Instruct the client and the client’s family to maintain it in the way it was cleaned and in cases that the client is beginning to hoard again, instruct the family to contact a hoarding specialist.