The Impact of Hoarding on Families 2026 IOCD Conference
The Impact of Hoarding on Families at the 2026 IOCDF Conference was the presentation offered by Becca Belofsky, CPS, Ceci Garrett, MSW, LICSW, Lightening the Load Counseling, and Randy O. Frost, PhD.
I work with families impacted by hoarding disorder: children trying to help their adult parents, siblings helping siblings, parents with children in the hoarded home, adult children of people with hoarding disorder. I take calls from worried-sick friends, social workers. There are precious few resources for the families of people suffering from hoarding disorder. Becca Belofsky is one, the partner of a person with hoarding disorder who herself has compulsive acquiring challenges. Ceci is another, the adult child of a person with hoarding disorder. Randy Frost is a pioneer in the study of hoarding disorder: his relationships with clients, mentees and the world spans decades. This gathering inspired me to pull together everything I know about families and hoarding to make it easy to find.
Books
Children of Hoarders book by Fugen Neziroglu
Digging Out book by Michael A. Tompkins and Tamara L. Hartl
Parents Who Hoard: Things to Consider Before Choosing to Help (or Not), devised by Ceci
The Hoarding Handbook: A Manual for Human Service Professionals – this book is COMPLETELY MISTITLED – this book is an AMAZING resource for ANYONE dealing with the complexities of coordinating services for the clearing out of a hoarded situation and the care of the person exhibiting hoarding behaviors.
Interventions
Family as Motivators, a protocol for family members of people with hoarding disorder who want to help their loved ones. Developed by Gregory Chasson, PhD, it’s unfortunately not easy to find.
movie Hello, My Name is Doris Loved it!
Hoarding Disorder Assessment Tools
Digging Out book by Michael A. Tompkins and Tamara L. Hartl
Parents Who Hoard: Things to Consider Before Choosing to Help (or Not), devised by Ceci
The Hoarding Handbook: A Manual for Human Service Professionals – this book is COMPLETELY MISTITLED – this book is an AMAZING resource for ANYONE dealing with the complexities of coordinating services for the clearing out of a hoarded situation and the care of the person exhibiting hoarding behaviors.
Movies
Beyond Hoarding I had the excellent fortune to see this documentary as a part of the International OCD Foundation‘s 2020 Online Hoarding Meeting. My impressions are here.
Hello, My Name is Doris Loved it!
My Mother’s Garden – this is very difficult to find, but worth the search. I watched it by chance: my opinion is here.
Stuffed, and I’ve got it analyzed.
Hoarding TV Show I LIKE!!!! – My Hoarder Mum and Me
Research
How Hoarding Affects the Family, 2023 podcast featuring Lubov “Luba” Leontieva, MD, PhD. This podcast is based on Dr. Leontieva’s research The Impact of Hoarding Disorder on Family Members, Especially the Significant Other.
Tolin DF, Frost RO, Steketee G, Fitch KE. Family burden of compulsive hoarding. Results of an internet survey. Beh Res Ther. 2008;46:334-344.
Support
Children of Hoarders support group
Minor and Youth Children of Hoarding Parents support group
A heartbreaking summary, as true now as when it was written: The Hidden Lives of Children of Hoarders, Suzanne A. Chabaud, PhD, Psychiatric Times, November 11, 2011.
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