Working to clear out the clutter

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This article was published 29/02/2012 (5006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Professional organizer Susan Macaulay once spent two hours with a client discussing whether to throw out four newspapers in a plastic Safeway bag.

When she left her client’s home, nothing had been discarded.

But Macaulay — a residential organizing specialist, and chronic disorganization and hoarding specialist — said despite what you may see on television shows like Hoarders, moving slowly is the reality of her profession.

“It’s a real process — it can’t be solved in two hours,” the Windsor Park resident said.

Macaulay — who runs the business Clarity over Clutter — is the only professional organizer in Winnipeg specialized in chronic disorganization and hoarding, with training from the U.S.-based Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

Chronic disorganization is defined as persistent and constant disorganization over a long period of time, often characterized by the accumulation of large quantities of items. Hoarding is the acquisition and failure to discard useless items or items of limited value.

While Macaulay praised shows like Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive for raising awareness of the condition, she also cautioned the “blitz” clean-outs portrayed on television can be damaging.

“It’s like a major shock to these people. You’re traumatizing them,” she said, pointing to one study that suggested while 15% of people who underwent blitz clean-outs improved, another 15% worsened and 43% saw no change in their hoarding.

Macaulay — who sometimes partners with mental health professionals — said she works on the premise that “everyone is disorganized in a unique way.”

She helps her clients clear out clutter, but also creates systems so they can remain organized.

One of Macaulay’s clients — who asked to remain anonymous — said her disorganization is rooted in OCD, explaining she often has trouble throwing out non-useful items.

“You would notice as soon as you walk into the house there’s a cramped feeling,” she said.

The Wolseley resident started working with Macaulay this summer, and said change is ongoing.

“What I’m coming to see is it’s a process. You have to peel it off slowly,” she said, adding Macaulay moves at her pace. “She always keeps within your comfort zone.”

Macaulay said many clients are anxious inviting her into their home, but stressed her job is to be neutral.

“I’m not there to shame you, to judge you, or to criticize you. I’m here to encourage you and help you get through this.”

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com