We are a specialist decluttering service and our work in homes has us right in the heart of people’s lives so at the coal-face of anxiety, bereavement, and trauma. Recently, we have worked more and more with those who have been diagnosed with ADHD, and these clients have been surprised by how much we are able to achieve with them.

There are three reasons why we consider ourselves a good fit for those with ADHD.

  1. CALM AND OPTIMISTIC: Firstly, anxiety plays havoc with executive functioning, and most of our clients have been anything ranging from nervous to petrified about what we are about to embark on in their homes. Though we have built trust, the client may be very wary and so our approach requires expert intuition. We can read what someone can cope with, and what is more difficult. We encourage open and honest dialogue so we can ensure we are understanding their perceptions of the situation.
  2. FLEXIBILITY: We have always been a bespoke service, as we are sometimes told a diagnosis in a care plan, sometimes the person has no diagnosis, but we have learnt that every home is different, what someone wants from their home varies, and that you cannot presume that just because you would put all the books in that area, that is where the client would want them. We have clients with physical challenges for whom we must come up with individualised solutions. But that is all led by listening and understanding the client, their needs, the way they interact with their homes.
  3. PAY IT FORWARD: We have been happy to be involved short or long term, with the focus on making things manageable rather than show-home standard. We have always aimed to have sustainable outcomes by creating an environment where the client grows in confidence in their own ability to organise and declutter. We can offer advice, and we apply a process that is all about incremental steps, celebrating achievements, and accountability to keep going. Our aim is not that the client relies on us for all their future sorting and decluttering needs, but that we have set them up well for independently sorting and organising effectively in the future. The reward that they can see their lives becoming easier.

I set up a professional decluttering business in 2013 after a career as a manager in local government. I already held a Psychology and Counselling degree and early in the business I was approached by the Fire Service to see if there was an empathic approach we could adopt toward hoarding. They wanted to encourage people to be receptive to support, and therefore reduce risks in those homes. I soon established a reputation for gaining trust and result in homes where no one had been let in for decades. I was then asked to be a trainer for the Association of Professional Declutterer and Organisers UK.

Fast forward ten years having been into over a thousand homes, and I published a book called Being Owned: A Decade in Professional Decluttering to tell the poignant and amazing stories of real people, in their realisations, revelations and discoveries in their homes.

How do people get in touch? I am available for a free chat on the phone, and can usually set up a 45 minute on-site visit, or video call. Order the book, sign up for the newsletter on my website (where we have lots of free resources), or follow me on Instagram or Facebook. www.changeyourspace.co.uk