Description

Application for social work continuing education credits has been submitted. Please contact Andrea Cordis at Andrea@mcoaonline.org for the status of social work CE accreditation.

Presented by Ana Trueba Yepez, PhD, Clinical Psychologist at McLean Hospital & Alexis Freedburg, MD, Geriatric Psychiatrist at McLean Hospital

This workshop is designed to help care providers who work with seniors struggling with hoarding behavior or excessive clutter. Together, we will explore the scope, natural history, and risks associated with hoarding by older adults. In addition, we will discuss the cognitive, emotional, and social complexity of hoarding behavior in older adults. Finally, we will identify persons at risk for hoarding and formulate strategies for engaging people with known hoarding tendencies. 

Using principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), we will discuss the roles of perfectionism, emotional attachment, and values in maintaining hoarding, and we will explore the implications of shame and stigma when building trust with people who hoard. Through guided exercises, participants will learn how to help clients clarify what matters most to them, recognize how clutter can interfere with those values, and apply practical strategies to support small, meaningful changes. 

The workshop emphasizes realistic interventions, self-compassion, and tools like SMART goals and decision-making algorithms that care providers can integrate into their work.

👉 You do not need to have attended a previous McLean session in order to participate in this training.