Creating a Harm Reduction Plan

Abstract

Once the clinician has assessed harm potential, engaged the client in the HR process, and developed a HR team and engaged these team members in the HR process, the clinician now puts these pieces together to create a harm reduction (HR) plan for the client with severe hoarding. The first step to create a HR plan is to identify effective harm reduction targets. The chapter begins with a description of the role of effective HR targets in the ongoing management of severe hoarding and then describes the central features of effective HR targets. The chapter describes the process of identifying effective HR targets that will appear in the HR plan for the client with severe hoarding. The chapter describes the benefits and process of formalizing the plan in a HR agreement. This is an important step, and the chapter presents guidelines for creating and formalizing the HR agreement, including discussing with the client the rationale for a formal HR agreement. The chapter concludes with examples of HR agreements for clients with severe hoarding across a range of harm potentials and complexities.