Ever wonder what it’s like to be the organizing professional who works with an extreme hoarder?  Today’s guest author is Hoarding Expert, Dorothy Breininger.  She gives us a glimpse into her life and what it’s like to work with families on the A&E program, Hoarders.

It seems like taking a 5-hour plane ride, preparing for several interviews, doing some hard-core organizing and returning home again is no big deal when it comes to filming an episode for A&E’s Hoarders TV show. When I was asked by colleague, Deb Lee, about managing my life under these extreme conditions, it became evident to me that preparing for and filming these episodes are more taxing than I realized.

As I write, I am simultaneously packing and preparing to fly out to meet with a hoarder to do a show.  Do I have my special gloves, masks, goggles, eyewash kit, inhaler, nasal mist, boots, bug spray, high knee socks, tops that work on camera and work for hoarding jobs too?

“Trust building” began by phone weeks ago as I spoke to various family members, and I spent time researching this particular hoarder’s anxiety disorders.  After reviewing the hoarder’s photos, alerting my own family & clients of my absence, I’m ready to fly cross country, leaving my life behind for 5 days to “move in” and be a part of another family’s life.

Along with A&E Hoarders’ therapist, every day I show up as the liaison for a broken family who needs to work very closely with one another (on camera), and who experience intensely private conversations in highly public situations. While that alone can be exhausting, my other job is to manage a crew of 8 – 20 people who are on site to assist in the clear out of the hoarder’s “stuff,” usually a month’s worth of work completed in a matter of two days.

The days are long and the twists and turns are unimaginable. The feeling of accomplishment is high and my commitment to the hoarder is longstanding – so is the commitment from the show. Did you know that after the show is filmed, each hoarder is offered the opportunity to meet regularly with either a therapist or an organizer? That gift from the show certainly makes it easier for me to step back into my own life after the five days of filming.

About the Author

Dorothy Breininger is one of America’s Most Trusted Professional Organizers.  She served on the board of directors for NAPO, is a member of the NSGCD and is an annual Sponsor for the Los Angeles Hoarding Conference. Dorothy has appeared on the Today Show with Katie Couric, the Dr. Phil Show, and has been featured in the LA Times, Forbes Magazine, Women’s Day and Entrepreneur Magazine.   Dorothy is also the President of The Delphi Center for Organizationwith over 700 clients ranging from corporations such as Southern California Edison, institutions such as UCLA, celebrities, individual small businesses & homeowners.   For more information, call 888.229.5346 or send an e-mail to info[at]centerfororganization[dot]com.  You can also follow Dorothy’s tweets on Twitter.

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