Meet the Trainers

Eileen is an independently licensed (LICSW) clinical social worker and holds an additional clinical certification in providing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Eileen is versed in the treatment of OCD related disorders. She also specializes in the treatment of hoarding disorder with experience providing psychotherapy, facilitating support groups for individuals and family members affected by hoarding, and providing crisis management for individuals facing outside pressure, such as evictions and condemnations. Eileen is one of the few clinicians in Massachusetts specializing in animal hoarding behavior and is often called on regionally and nationally to provide expertise consultation and training in these cases to animal control officers and other service professionals. Currently she is a consultant for King County, WA to develop uniform procedures and best practices related to hoarding cases.

Eileen successfully collaborated with state legislators to secure a legislative proclamation declaring Hoarding Disorder Awareness Week in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Eileen serves as an advocate and expert on the Massachusetts PAWS II (a bill to fight animal cruelty) commission. Currently she is working on passing similar legislation in New Hampshire. Recently Eileen published the book, Reclaim Your Life from Hoarding: Practical Strategies for Decluttering Your Home, Organizing Your Space, and Freeing Yourself. Eileen also works part-time as a hospital emergency department psychiatric triage clinician and volunteers as a mental health disaster worker for the American Red Cross.  

Eileen is a second year PhD student at Simmons University School of Social Work. As a PhD student, Eileen is pursuing scholarship in the area of prevention, assessment, and identification of animal hoarding behavior. She is interested in exploring how animal welfare professionals (specifically humane law enforcement) investigate cases of animal cruelty and their collaboration with aging and other social services professionals to address the mental health needs of persons who hoards. Her aim is to develop evidence-based practices in animal hoarding that both respect and support the mental health needs of individuals and the welfare of animals.

Jennifer M. Sampson, PhD, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Program Director of the Couples and Family Therapy Program at Antioch University Seattle. Jennifer earned her doctorate in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests involve the influence of family and life experiences on hoarding behavior, as well as developing effective and ethical approaches to mandatory hoarding cleanouts. She has published multiple articles in academic journals on hoarding and completed her dissertation work on understanding the influences of unresolved trauma and loss and family dynamics on hoarding behavior. She earned her Master’s degree from Seattle Pacific University, currently practices therapy in her group practice, Northwest Relationships, in Tacoma, Washington. She is the former Executive Director of The Hoarding Project in Tacoma and was the original founder of the King/Pierce County Hoarding Task Force in 2012.

Leslie Shapiro, MA is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Washington State. At the clinical practice as a mental health therapist for THP Consulting and Northwest Relationships in Tacoma, Washington, Leslie works with people who struggle with Hoarding Disorder. Prior to completing her Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy at Antioch University Seattle, she worked as a residential organizer and coach. This experience whetted her appetite to better understand clients and acquire the skills necessary to become a therapist. For the past four years, Leslie has been lead educator and staff consultant at THP Consulting statewide. Leslie facilitates support groups for individuals who hoard and friends and family members of people who hoard. Leslie also served as a member of the King/Pierce County Hoarding Task Force

Marnie Matthews, LCSW, is the founder of The Clutter Movement (TCM) and Center for Hoarding and Cluttering, online resources for individuals and family members affected by clutter in addition to professionals who, through their work, come across hoarding situations. Prior to TCM, Marnie was Clinical and Program director for North Shore Center for Hoarding and Cluttering, a 2016 n4a award winning program she developed. Marnie speaks regularly across the U.S. on all aspects of hoarding disorder and developed the Uniform Inspection Checklist, used nationwide as a standardized & objective tool for assessing & managing hoarding cases. Marnie has been Vice President of the Board of Directors for The Hoarding Project, a member of the Middle TN Hoarding Task Force, the North Shore and Boston Hoarding Task Forces, and the MA Statewide Steering Committee on Hoarding. In addition, Marnie is a therapist at the Nashville OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center and a Graduate Level SW Field Instructor providing clinical supervision for Social Workers.

Terina Bainter is a Certified Professional Organizer, Certified Organizer Coach and owner of Clutter Cutters, LLC, a Professional Organizing Company.  She specializes in working with clients with brain-based differences such as Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization, and ADHD. She uses the three-stage process of Awareness, Action, and Learning to help people explore and transform their habits and beliefs related to their living environments, possessions, and overall sense of control.  She was a Board Member with The Hoarding Project until 2019, and a member of the King-Pierce County Hoarding Task Force from its inception in 2013 to 2019.