Why should I work with Gary and Cathy Bock?
Gary and Cathy Bock, CPO-CD are excellent organizers because they are
non-judgmental, compassionate, honest and have lots of patience. They are not worried about what your home looks like – they are only there to help you conquer your chronic disorganization. All of their work with you will be confidential, so you can trust them with your personal papers and information. Gary and Cathy adhere to the NAPO Code of Ethics and the ICD Code of Ethics.
What is Cathy and Gary’s personal story? (How did they get started helping the chronically disorganized and the elderly?)
Back in 2005, Cathy’s mother moved from the 4-bedroom family home of 33 years to a 1-bedroom retirement apartment. She and her 2 sisters helped their mother downsize prior to the move. They helped her with a garage sale and arranged donations to charities to reduce the number of items she moved into her new apartment.
In early 2008, a friend asked Cathy to help her downsize prior to moving. While helping her friend, Cathy researched professional organizers on the web and found the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). She joined NAPO in 2008 and began her career transition. Cathy then learned of the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) and attended their 2008 conference in St. Louis. At the conference she learned about working with the chronically disorganized, people with hoarding disorder and clients with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD / ADHD).
Gary cleared out his mom’s home of 60 years when she suddenly had to move to independent living when she was 95 years old. Gary refurbished the home to meet current building code. He staged the home. This resulted in the home selling for over asking price during a very bad real estate market. Gary is excellent at coordinating projects with many moving parts.
When Gary’s corporate job was eliminated in 2017, he joined Chaos Tamers. Like Cathy, he became a member of NAPO and ICD and began his professional organizing education.
What are Gary and Cathy’s certifications and experience?
Cathy has studied with Organizing Experts in California and completed National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) education courses to further her knowledge in the organizing profession.
Cathy has also earned the following from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization:
· Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization (Level I)
· Chronic Disorganization Specialist Certificate (Level II)
· Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization® (CPO-CD®,
Level III)
· Understanding the Needs of the Elderly Chronically Disorganized Client
· Basic Hoarding Issues with the Chronically Disorganized Client (Level I)
· Hoarding Specialist Certificate (Level II)
· Basic Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Issues with the Chronically
Disorganized Client
· Certificate of Study in Basic Mental Health Conditions and Challenges
Affecting the CD Client
· Chronically Disorganized Client Administration
· Certificate of Study in Time Management / Productivity
· Certificate of Study in Interpersonal Intelligence
What are Gary’s certifications and experience?
Gary is a member of National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), NAPO-Chicago Chapter and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). Gary has completed NAPO and ICD education courses to further his knowledge of organizing and working with disorganized clients. Gary has attended the NAPO annual conference to further his career.
Gary has also earned the following from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization:
· Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization (Level I)
· Understanding the Needs of the Elderly Chronically Disorganized Client
· Basic Hoarding Issues with the Chronically Disorganized Client (Level I)
· Chronically Disorganized Client Administration
What did Cathy do prior to becoming a professional organizer?
After high school, Cathy worked as a secretary in downtown Chicago. That began her filing and office organizing career. Then Cathy went to night school and earned a BS degree in Chemistry from Elmhurst College. She worked for a number of years as a chemist in the food, chemical and cosmetics industries.
While a chemist, Cathy heard about DePaul University’s Computer Career Program (CCP). After earning that certificate, she worked for 20 years as a computer programmer/business analyst at two Fortune 500 companies (Allstate Insurance and Household International/HSBC). As a programmer/analyst, she honed her organizing and project management skills and now shares those skills with her clients.
What did Gary do prior to becoming a professional organizer?
Gary has an associate degree in tool and die making through Triton College. He worked for several years as a tool and die maker. Gary then switched careers and earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Gary worked for several major companies as an engineer. In 1994 Gary made another career change to follow his passion for computers. Like his wife, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Gary went through DePaul University’s Computer Career Program (CCP). After earning his certificate, he worked for 20 plus years as a business analyst at the United States' largest benefits outsourcing company (Hewitt Associates / Aon Hewitt / Alight Solutions). As a programmer/analyst, he honed his organizing and project management skills and now shares those skills with his clients.
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