2012 Public Seminar

Why Can't I Get Organized?
Some Causes and Solutions for Disorganization

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
6 - 8 p.m. (Registration at 5:00)
$10 before Sept. 17/$15 at the Door

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization is hosting a pre-conference program open to the public and professionals whose clients are challenged by disorganization. After a short presentation about chronic disorganization, our panel of mental health professionals and organizing experts will answer your burning questions.

About Our Panelists:
Sue Becker, CPO-CD, is the founder and owner of From Piles to Smiles. She has helped people around the world live better lives by creating customized systems to overcome their piles of paperwork, overwhelming clutter, and jam-packed schedules. An ADHD Specialist, Sue especially enjoys helping people with ADHD create substantial change that helps them live a more harmonious life. Sue is the former treasurer of the ICD and currently serves as a member of its Certification Program Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Chicago chapter of National Association of Professional Organizers' (NAPO) membership committee, and is an instructor on chronic disorganization to her fellow NAPO members.

Dr. Patrick McGrath is the Director of the Alexian Brothers Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, the Co-Director of the School Anxiety and School Refusal Program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, and the President of the Anxiety Centers of Illinois, a private group practice. He is on the scientific advisory board of the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, and President of the Midwest Affiliate of the Foundation. Dr. McGrath authored a stress management workbook, Don’t Try Harder, Try Different, as well as The OCD Answer Book. He has been featured in newspapers, journals, and magazines, on radio and television. Most recently, he appeared on the Discovery Health Channel’s Documentary “Anxious” and “Hoarding: Buried Alive” for The Learning Channel.

Dr. Alan R. Graham, uniquely trained in education, psychology and business, obtained his Ph.D. at Northwestern University. Dr. Graham currently teaches the ADHD Coaching Master Classes for MentorCoach. He has been certified by the International Coach Federation as a Professional Certified coach (PCC) and as a Senior Certified ADHD Coach (SCAC) by the Institute for the Advancement of ADHD Coaching. Dr. Graham serves on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Attention Disorders. With Dr. Bill Benninger, Dr. Graham created ADDvisor.com, a website for sharing practical information through email newsletters and teleconference workshops. His clinical and coaching practice, ACP Consultants, is in Park Ridge, Illinois. Since, 2006, he has helped many individuals benefit from Cogmed Working Memory Training.

Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD, owner of the North Carolina-based organizing company, Metropolitan Organizing, is a Level V, Master Trainer, Certified Professional Organizer specializing in Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding. Thomas works with teens and adults challenged by mental health issues, including anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. As an organizing expert on A&E TV’s Emmy nominated show, "Hoarders," Geralin often employs a holistic methodology and a unique team-organizing approach to implement harm reduction. This method provides a safe emotional and cognitive environment in which the situational risks a client faces can be minimized, increasing the likelihood of future progress. Geralin also develops collaborative approaches with therapists to help individuals and families manage their time, possessions and thoughts.

Patty Wolf, CPO-CD, owner and founder of StuffBusters, is dedicated to helping individuals and families get organized and improve their organizing habits. Her services include home organizing, moving and downsizing, and her specialty, hoarding. Patty is a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, an ADHD Specialist, a Hoarding Specialist, and is the first in Illinois to achieve the credential of ICD Master Trainer in CD and Organization. She received her BS Degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University. Patty is a practicing professional in chronic disorganization and hoarding, and focuses on working with those who have persistent organizing issues. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.