Intensive Treatments for Selective Mutism

The NYU Child Study Center has developed a unique set of intensive treatments for children with Selective Mutism consisting of a variety of treatments including Camp Courage, a week long group treatment, weekend booster programs, and intensive tailored individual treatments. Learn more about Selective Mutism here.

Camp Courage

Camp Courage is offered in the month just before the school year starts and is a one-week session of fun and productive activities for a small group of children and their families. The program involves daily participation in arts and crafts, playground play, field trips to local establishments, and simulated classroom settings by the children and our professional staff. Each child is assigned to a trained "counselor" to facilitate and reward the use of verbal communication in these small group experiences. Parents are provided with a group session prior to the start of camp to learn how they can enhance their children's treatment through their own actions in-between sessions. Prior to enrolling in Camp Courage, each child is provided with individual treatment so they are ready for the small group experiences included in Camp. We have found that participation boosts children's progress and helps them prepare for brave actions when they start school.

Concentrated Monthly Weekend Boosters

Based on our Camp Courage program, we run small group experiences one weekend day every month. These experiences provide each child with an individual therapist who will help them effectively relax and engage in verbal communication in the presence of the group. Methods to train relaxation, to reward the use of brave interactions and talk, and to help children improve their ability to communicate in a variety of settings are utilized.

Concentrated Treatment Programs for Visitors from Outside the NYC Region

Sometimes families are not able to find experienced therapists in their area. We offer individualized programs of multiple days for families who are able to visit the NYC area to help set the foundation for advances in communication when the child and family return to their home and school setting. The length of the concentrated program and its goals are set based upon an evaluation that is completed through phone interviews and the use of data collected from parents and teachers who know the child well.

Consultations to School Districts and Other Therapists

We also offer training workshops for therapists and school mental health professionals in which we discuss our intervention methods and other methods that have been reported in the clinical research literature. These workshops and consultations are tailored to meet the needs of therapists, single professionals in school districts, or entire teams of school-district professionals.

For more information please contact an intake coordinator at (646) 754-5000 or e-mail us at services@aboutourkids.org.