Buried in Treasures is designed for people who are overwhelmed by hoarding and possessions, and who find it difficult or distressing to discard items. It also helps people who are not able to use the space in their home as they want to, due to excessive clutter.

The program is being run by Catholic Healthcare’s Hoarding and Squalor team. It is free and consists of weekly two-hour long online group workshops, run over a period of 15 weeks, to enable consistent progress. Being online also allows for social distancing and more flexibility for participants to attend their weekly sessions.

The program is run by a facilitator and follows direction from the Buried in Treasures self-help book with a focus on skill-building, applying lessons to change the way people think about possessions, and providing progressive challenges to help participants manage clutter.

Trish*, completed the Buried in Treasures program earlier this year.

“The course really helped me,” says Trish. “I was feeling very insecure and had collected items and clutter in my home. The big issue was my bedroom. I had piles of bed linen, towels, clothing, cushions and pillows. I couldn’t use the room.”

As part of the course, the Buried in Treasures facilitator also supports participants by providing optional one-on-one home-visits to implement skills and techniques learned in the group session. 

“I was sleeping downstairs as there was so much clutter in my bedroom,” continues Trish. “By following the program and with Steve’s support I started to clear out my bedroom. It represented knocking down walls – and moving forward.”

What you will get out of the program:

• Understanding hoarding and why people collect
• Motivation and confidence to get started with organising clutter
• The practical skills and strategies for deciding which items to save, and resisting the temptation to collect more
• Meet others who truly understand your experience in a supportive and respectful environment
• Help overcoming feelings of anxiety and/or depression
• Plus you’ll receive a free copy of the Buried in Treasures book

The program includes optional one-on-one home visits to help you implement the skills that you learn in the group session.

Buried in Treasures is government-funded under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). To be eligible for CHSP you need to be aged 50+, and have a tendency to accumulate excessive items, or find it difficult to part with them.

You do not need to be formally assessed as having hoarding disorder in order to attend.

For more information on Buried in Treasures or to register visit here. 

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