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

Michael A. Tompkins · Tamara L. Hartl

Apr 2007 · New Harbinger Publications

About this ebook

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 the author

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified psychologist in behavioral and cognitive psychology. He is codirector of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, and a faculty member of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Tompkins is author or coauthor of fifteen books, and presents to national and international audiences on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and related topics. His work has been highlighted by media outlets, including in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, on television (TLC, A&E), and on radio (KQED, NPR).

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 |

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.