Ahhh, Candice, your question is as old as time itself.

I think you already know the answer to this question, and as a drug and alcohol counselor you should be well-equipped to put the age-old powers of MIND CONTROL to work for you.

OF COURSE YOU CAN CHANGE THIS MAN!

(You did say 'man,' didn't you?)

YOU ARE A MIND CONTROL PROFESSIONAL!

Relying on your training, you might employ a variety of approaches to modifying your colleague's disorganized work behaviors. For example...

BEHAVIORAL: Notice and reward your colleague for small steps toward neatness: ("Ooooh! Terrific! You made a PILE!") Keep this up, continually, for one century.

GESTALT: Bring your own emotional issues in this matter into clearer focus, by engaging in empty chair work. Imagine that your colleague's mess is in the empty chair. Express Yourself! Tell it what you want, what you need, what you feel. OK, NOW SWITCH CHAIRS! What does your colleague's mess tell you back?

PSCHOANALYTICAL: Sit very quietly and observe your colleague's mess, regarding it from every angle. Look for clues to his subconscious motivations. Appeal to his male ego. Make insightful comments: "You're such a powerful stapler," or "way to pound that keyboard!"

EXISTENTIAL: View your colleague's mess as an expression of his personal struggle to derive meaning from chaos. Show him you understand, by approaching his cubicle and regarding it solemnly. Nod and say, "Dude, I know exactly what you mean." On behalf of everyone present, thank him for having the courage to express it.

REALITY THERAPY: Post one of those signs that says "YOUR MOMMA DOESN"T WORK HERE."

FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY: See if his Momma's available.

HARM REDUCTION: Yellow police tape around the entire perimeter.

REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY: "If you change one thing about that desk, you're fired!"

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING: "If you did decide it was time to clean up your desk, what makes you think you'd be successful?"

INCENTIVE-BASED: "You know, I was in your office moving things around and I swear I saw like a hundred bucks on your desk underneath some papers."

ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY: Now, Candice, that's just not ethical. If it happens accidentally, it's a natural consequence and you shouldn't interfere. But arranging this on your own would be CHEATING. Really, I'm surprised at you.

Of course, if all else fails, we could put a web-cam on this forum and point it at your colleague's desk, and just have it be an ongoing topic of research, speculation, and debate. Prospective drug and alcohol counselors could each do a case presentation study on the mess, write it a treatment plan, and do SOIRP notes on its daily activities. Eventually, someone would figure out what it wants from us and why it won't go away. Of course first you better get a release first or its likely to sue us.

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Candice:
It's nice to know that you are still open-minded enough to notice that a change needs to be made. But whose change???? Remember, 'Some things never change.' If someone has unorganized work skills and they are getting their job done, then it's your issue. If they are not getting their job done, it is obviously their issue. If they are not handling their work-load, then that is the real issue. I know that most of my own personal growth has been by example when I watched someone else who showed me how. That does not mean that they did it for me, just gave me a little education. You could always shoot the guy and get it all over with. (I guess that would be unethical though) Loved Kristin's response!!!

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I just love you, Bernie!

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I know excactly what you would do about that, ...and it ain't pretty

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