Meet the Trainers

Agency & Community Workforce Development

Advancing Effective Community Hoarding Response

Our Agency & Community Workforce Development trainers are committed to expanding the Center for Hoarding’s professional education programs and delivering engaging, interactive training grounded in evidence-informed practices and real-world experience. Eileen Dacey, MSW, LICSW and Leslie Shapiro, MA, LMFT bring extensive clinical, educational, and community-response expertise to the development of training that reflects the complex situations professionals encounter in their work.
Their combined knowledge strengthens the Center’s ability to provide practical, relevant education that builds professional confidence, encourages collaboration across disciplines, and equips participants with strategies they can apply immediately within their agencies and communities.

Eileen Dacey, LICSW

Eileen Dacey, LICSW, is an independently licensed clinical social worker and CBT-certified therapist specializing in Hoarding Disorder and OCD-related conditions. Her work spans psychotherapy, individual and family support groups, crisis intervention, and complex cases involving eviction, condemnation, and threats to housing stability. She has particular expertise in animal hoarding and is one of the relatively few clinicians in Massachusetts specializing in this area.

Eileen’s experience with hoarding extends well beyond the therapy setting. Her work with the North Shore Center for Hoarding and Cluttering placed her at the intersection of aging services, behavioral health, housing, public safety, and community-based intervention. She has provided professional education on hoarding for many years and is consulted on complex cases, multidisciplinary responses, animal hoarding, and the development of best practices for community intervention.

A defining feature of Eileen’s professional development has been her curiosity and willingness to pursue questions that practice has not adequately answered. Early exposure to traditional cleanout-based responses led her to seek specialized education in Hoarding Disorder and deepen her clinical understanding of the condition. Recognizing the limited professional knowledge surrounding animal hoarding, she further developed expertise in that area and expanded her work with animal-control professionals, veterinarians, law enforcement, and other community responders.

Eileen brings this same investigative and interdisciplinary perspective to professional education. Her teaching encourages participants to look beyond the visible accumulation of possessions and consider what is driving the behavior, what risks require attention, what information may still be missing, and how professionals from different systems can work together effectively. Her combination of direct clinical practice, crisis response, community intervention, and higher education allows her to connect research and theory with the complex situations social workers encounter in the field.

Eileen is also a PhD candidate and Associate Professor of Practice at Simmons University School of Social Work, where she directs Online BSW Practicum Education and teaches at both the BSW and MSW levels. Her doctoral research focuses on the intersection of OCD and suicide, reflecting her continued commitment to advancing assessment and intervention for complex behavioral-health conditions.

Leslie Shapiro, MA, LMFT

Leslie Shapiro, MA, LMFT, is a clinician, trainer, and consultant specializing in Hoarding Disorder and anxiety-related conditions. Formerly a Clinical Therapist at The Hoarding Project, she provided individual and group treatment, developed CBT- and Motivational Interviewing-based treatment plans, coordinated care with families and community partners, conducted research, and facilitated support groups for individuals affected by hoarding and their family members. She is also a co-author of several publications on Hoarding Disorder, including work published by SAGE.

Leslie has been providing professional training on Hoarding Disorder since 2013, educating professionals across behavioral health, social services, developmental disabilities, housing, healthcare, animal control, and other community systems. Her experience ranges from conference presentations and university education to full-day, community-based trainings focused on strengthening local hoarding response systems. She has trained professionals throughout Washington, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, including work supporting communities in developing more effective interdisciplinary reporting and response processes. Her training experience also includes state and local agencies, the University of Washington, NAMI, healthcare and aging-service organizations, and multidisciplinary community providers.

As a trainer, Leslie brings the same curiosity, thoughtful inquiry, and commitment to continued learning that have shaped her clinical work. She is particularly skilled at connecting clinical knowledge with the realities professionals encounter in the field—helping participants move beyond simply identifying hoarding to consider engagement, collaboration, and practical strategies for responding to complex situations. Her trainings encourage meaningful discussion and participant involvement, allowing professionals to bring their own experiences and questions into the learning process.

Leslie maintains a private practice and continues to provide education, consultation, and clinical support related to hoarding and anxiety disorders.