Are there family therapists who specialize in children with Selective Mutism?
Answer
Unfortunately there are very few psychologists and licensed mental health practitioners that do specialize in working with children with SM. There are some clinicians who truly specialize in SM. For example, I am at a SM clinic, so our social worker does specialize in children with SM. You can check out the selectivemutism.org website. There is a list of treating professionals that have some expertise in working with children with SM located in the Find Help section. That is one resource for you. But many therapists who work with children with anxiety also have really good insights into how to support children and their families with SM. That is another referral source. If you have younger children, I tend to recommend more play therapy-based clinicians whereas if you have older children, more cognitive-behavioral therapy models might work better.
Joleen Fernald, MS, CCC-SLP, PhD(c) has a special interest in the social emotional development of young children and its impact on their speech and language skills. As a speech-language pathologist, Joleen works with children who have a variety of communication disorders. She partnered with Easter Seals NH in 2008 to begin an assessment and treatment clinic specifically for children with selective mutism.
Joleen R. Fernald, M.S., CCC-SLP
Joleen R. Fernald, MS, CCC-SLP, PhD(c), is an Expert DIR®Floortime™ Provider and Training Leader. She is an adjunct professor for Granite State College and is currently a PhD candidate studying infant mental health and developmental disabilities. Joleen has a special interest in the social emotional development of young children and its impact on their speech and language skills. As a speech-language pathologist, Joleen works with children who have a variety of communication disorders. She partnered with Easter Seals NH in 2008 to begin an assessment and treatment clinic specifically for children with selective mutism.
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