ANNOUNCEMENT: Children of Hoarders Support Group starting in Phoenix/Tempe area

Just thought I would share this info as I know that some of my readers just might be in the right geographical area to have interest:

The purpose of the Children of Hoarders Support Group is to offer a safe environment where persons who have been negatively affected by the compulsive hoarding behaviors of their parent or other loved one can receive understanding and be heard without judgment. Further, the educational aspect of the group will furnish members the opportunity to gain knowledge and learn skills to begin their own personal journey of healing.

Thanks for checking us out! We now have a meeting place in Tempe. We will meet for 6 consecutive Thursdays starting March 18th. The dates would be March 18 & 25, April 1, 8, 15, & 22. IN ORDER TO GET THE HIGHEST BENEFIT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE; PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND ALL 6 MEETINGS AS THE MATERIAL BUILDS EACH WEEK.

What we DO:
1. Learn and practice communication methods that support us in getting our needs met, especially in our relationship with the hoarder in our life.
2. Build intimacy with the group by sharing our experience/feelings of growing up with a hoarder.

What we DON'T do:
1. Try to "fix" hoarders or try to control our parent's hoarding behavior.
2. Attempt to convince hoarders that the way they have chosen to live is wrong.

******IMPORTANT NOTE:******
This group is ***NOT*** for people who ARE COMPULSIVE HOARDERS! This group is for those people who have been negatively affected by hoarding.


Please check the link below and RSVP to meetup if you are interested in joining:
http://www.meetup.com/az-children-of-hoarders/

I hope to start a group in the Eastern Washington area and am excited to hear how this group does. Best luck to C*** who has put in lots of time planning and preparing for this group!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hoarding--it's not about the STUFF

Since I've become so open with my childhood and the family secret, I am often asked why all the stuff in the house was so bad. It's easy to look at a pile of boxes and bags sliding down atop the boxes filled with craft supplies and books, and not understand why this was so difficult. Very simply, it's not about the STUFF . Research indicates that almost all those who suffer with hoarding compulsions have another issue--mental illness, or brain injury. Hoarding is not THE issue; it's a physically manifested symptom of an internal problem. My take on it is simple. The stuff does one of two things: 1. The grand chaos of things is a reflection of an internal chaos in the brain. Many of our HPs have an inability to sort in a "normal" way. Instead of overgeneralizing things into groups, hoarders have a tendency toward "over-specification" (My word for everything being too unique to actually be the same as something else. I'm sure there is a more profe
Read more

Admitting the Truth, Uncovering the Lie

Image
"White lies" became a regular and normal part of my childhood. I've heard others tell stories about the elaborate tales of renovation that were built and concocted to keep friends and family away from the family home, the hoard. I was never that creative. I would say something along the lines of the house being a mess, believing that no one would truly suspect the truth--the house was a MESS! It hit me recently that I still have trouble telling the truth in situations where it really doesn't make a difference whether I tell the truth or not. It disturbs me to think that telling a half-truth or painting a beautiful deception is not only easy for me, but that my moral compass does not readily stop me from doing it. Borrowed from Mark Pocan, WI representative, personal blog For instance, I have told a lie about my abilities in gymnastics and tumbling since I was a small child. I'm not sure how the lie first reared its ugly head, but like a zit that is touched
Read more

You Failed Me

Image
Way back in the day...and by that, I mean, when I was still a young thing back in high school, I did something kind of stupid. Okay...so I did a lot of things that were REALLY stupid back in the day. I admit that. But this one, well...my stupidity was minor compared to the failure of the authorities.
Read more