Hoarding disorder (HD) is the acquisition and failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value in attempt to postpone or decrease distress or anxiety. Hoarding disorder, as well as other hoarding behaviors, is a serious and growing problem that can lead to eviction, homelessness, and death, and comprise some 40% of the hoarding complaints to local health departments. Those most at risk are frail older adults with poor physical and social capacity who live in these highly cluttered and unsafe environments. Those with the problem often have other psychiatric disorders as well as little awareness of the consequences they face living in a hoarded environment. In his presentation, Dr. Tompkins will define hoarding disorder and describe other psychiatric conditions in which hoarding behaviors can be a problem for older adults. He will review the particular factors that increase the harm potential for older adults who hoard. He will then describe the current options for helping older adults who are at risk due to their hoarding behaviors. Specific training learning objectives include:

-Define hoarding behaviors and hoarding disorder.
-Identify factors that influence harm potential.
-Describe interventions to assist older adults who hoard.

PRESENTING will be Michael A. Tompkins, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy where he specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in adults, adolescents, and children. Dr. Tompkins is Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Diplomate and Certified Supervisor of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and a certified supervisor and faculty member for the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and chapters on cognitive-behavior therapy and related topics, as well as fifteen books, including Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring (with Tamara L. Hartl) and the Clinician’s Guide to Severe Hoarding: A Harm Reduction Approach. He has presented trainings to national and international audiences on the topic of hoarding disorder, particularly managing hoarding behaviors through a harm reduction approach.