The experience of working with people that hoard: a Q-sort exploration

Background: The impact and burden of working with people that hoard is largely unexplored.

Aim: To explore professionals’ varied experiences of engagement and intervention with this client group.

Method: Five semi-structured interviews were initially conducted with professionals with detailed experience of working with people that hoard. A thematic analysis then identified key statements for a 49-item Q-set. The Q-sort was subsequently administered to public sector professionals with wide experience of working with people who hoard (N= 36; fire-fighters, environmental health, housing and mental health). Organizational support and job-related wellbeing measures (anxiety/contentment and depression/enthusiasm) were also administered.

Results: Factor analysis identified three distinct clusters (a) therapeutic and client focused (N = 15), (b) shocked and frustrated (N = 2) and (c) pragmatic and task focused (N = 5). Therapeutic and client focused professionals were significantly more content and enthusiastic regarding their work with clients with hoarding difficulties.

Conclusions: Professionals experience and approach their work with people that hoard in discrete and dissimilar ways. Service delivery and training implications are considered.