Selective Mutism Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center-SMart Center

11/12/2025

🎄 The holidays can bring joy, excitement and for children with Selective Mutism or social anxiety, a bit of added stress. 💛

Check out our helpful handout, “Holiday Preparations & Practicalities,” filled with practical tips to reduce anxiety and build confidence throughout the season: https://ow.ly/jZ8V50XqKxn

Looking for more holiday support? Join Jennifer Brittingham, LPC, SMart Center’s Lead School Consultant and Selective Mutism expert, for Selective Mutism Association's live webinar, “Navigating the Holidays with Selective Mutism: Strategies for Success” on November 20th at 7:30 PM (EST).

Discover evidence-based strategies to help children with SM feel more comfortable, confident, and connected at home, in school, and beyond. Register Here 👉 https://ow.ly/Jglq50XqKxp

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call (215) 887-5748

11/11/2025

🌟 Give your child the tools they need to overcome social communication anxiety and build lasting confidence with CommuniCamp™ by Selective Mutism Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center-SMart Center! 🚀

Spend 3+ transformative days with top expert, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, and others. You'll discover effective strategies to support your child while connecting with other parents who share the same lived experience! Meanwhile, children and teens build social communication skills and comfort through learning critical S-CAT® strategies.

It's a unique opportunity to not only learn, but to see firsthand how your child can begin to thrive in a supportive, structured environment! 📅 Visit CommuniCamp.org to enroll for our January 16-19 and February 13-16 sessions!

11/07/2025

❓ What is speech phobia? 🤨

Even after progress, some children and teens with experience speech phobia - a fear that can develop around being verbal even after anxiety is beginning to lower. These are individuals who can engage and communicate non-verbally in most, if not all, settings.

That’s where the Ritual Sound Approach®, developed by Dr. Shipon-Blum, can help!
Learn more about this approach 🔗 https://ow.ly/vuqp50Xow9A

This gentle, step-by-step technique supports kids in breaking through the fear of speech and gaining confidence in their voice. 💬✨

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

11/05/2025

🌟 NEW BLOG: “Choice Questions with the Right Answer Second” 💬💙

Read Dr. E’s blog post now 👉 https://ow.ly/aNp250Xnhrf

For children and teens with , every question can feel like a pop quiz—unpredictable and filled with pressure to respond. Choice Questions with the Right Answer Second, part of Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum’s S-CAT® approach, help make social communication easier by lowering anxiety and reducing processing load. 🌱

When paired with preparation and visuals through the PVC method (Prepare, Visuals, Choice), this strategy helps children anticipate what’s coming, process faster, and move naturally across the Social Communication Bridge®.

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

10/31/2025

🎃👻 Happy Halloween from the SMart Center! 🎉 We hope your day is filled with fun, laughter, and lots of treats! For some quick Halloween tips, read Dr. E's blog "Three Ways to Prepare for Halloween" 👉 https://ow.ly/rF6n50XkYcK

Remember, tonight is the perfect time for your child or teen to practice those social communication skills and for parents to help facilitate! Stay safe, enjoy the festivities, and have a ghoulishly good time! 🕷️🍬

10/30/2025

👻🎃 Trick-or-treating can be a big event for children and teens with — but with a little preparation and practice, it can also be a fun way to build social confidence and comfort! 💬✨

Here are a few ways to help your child feel ready:
🍬 Write a script together for door-to-door greetings or candy exchanges.
🧡 Pair up with a buddy—a sibling or friend—to help boost comfort and confidence.
🕸️ Practice greetings that fit your child’s current stage of social communication

Continue reading Dr. E's Halloween tips 👉 https://ow.ly/Thqq50XkFbi

10/29/2025

🎃 NEW BLOG: Three Ways to Prepare for Halloween with Selective Mutism 👻💬

Read now 👉 https://ow.ly/t5Xs50Xk1yL

Halloween can be exciting—but also overwhelming—for children and teens with or social anxiety. From costumes and door-to-door greetings to parties and new routines, these changes can create added stress.

In our latest blog, Dr. E shares three practical strategies to help make Halloween more comfortable, predictable, and fun for your child or teen. 🎃✨

Halloween is right around the corner! For many children, Halloween is a fun night to dress up, collect candy, and yell "Trick or Treat." However, for those with Selective Mutism, Halloween can be a very stressful and anxiety-provoking night. Below are three tips to help prepare your individual with....

10/28/2025

October is 💙

Real-world settings, like school, playdates, or family gatherings, can feel overwhelming for individuals with . With the right support and approach, these moments can become opportunities to build confidence and strengthen social communication skills!

👉 Read Dr. E's full handout, "The Child/Teen with SM in the Real World," now: https://ow.ly/rFup50Xjgc1.

10/24/2025

🌟 NEW BLOG: “Typical Goals for Teens and Young Adults with Selective Mutism” 💬💙

Read Dr. E’s latest post now 👉 https://ow.ly/W8X150XhKFu

As children with grow into their teen and young adult years, their goals in treatment evolve too. For some, that might mean ordering their own food, giving a class presentation, or feeling comfortable making friends in new settings.

Every individual’s journey looks different — and that’s okay. 🌱 Progress isn’t defined by one-size-fits-all milestones, but by personalized goals that build real-world confidence, independence, and self-advocacy.

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

By Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum For teens and young adults with Selective Mutism, if symptoms persist, does not disappear in adolescence. It changes form. As children become teens and young adults, their worlds expand and so do the expectations for independence, social participation, and self-advocacy. For...

10/24/2025

Does your tween or teen struggle with speaking up, joining in, or feeling confident in social situations? 🫣 🎉 Join our two new virtual social skills series for tweens (ages 10-12) and teens (ages 13-17)!

🔗 Enroll now at https://ow.ly/4Hkj50XhGYT! Registration closes October 29!

This 6-week, virtual series is designed especially for tweens and teens with Social Anxiety, Selective Mutism, and social communication challenges! Your tween/teen will:
✅ Build social communication confidence through games, role-plays, and teamwork challenges
✅ Practice real-life social skills like greetings, asking/answering questions, & keeping conversations going
✅ Strengthen friendship skills, including sharing ideas, problem-solving, & joining group projects
✅ Discuss coping strategies for managing social anxiety, such as relaxation, preparation, & confidence-building tools
✅ and so much more!

💙 Every activity for each age group is guided by our trained clinicians, ensuring each tween or teen is met where they are, whether nonverbal, transitioning into speech, or verbal. Don't miss the opportunity to give your child the tools for social comfort, connection, and confidence!

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

10/23/2025

Calling all NJ educators! 💬 Join Jennifer Brittingham, LPC, at the 2025 NJEA Convention in Atlantic City for her in-person workshop, “Strategies to Help Children with Selective Mutism Speak in School.”📍 November 6, 11:15 AM (EST)

Learn practical, evidence-based strategies to help students with build comfort, strengthen communication, and make meaningful progress with peers and teachers.

Can't attend, but want to help a child or student with SM? 👉 Explore our school services: https://ow.ly/eRHj50Xh7Ku

The SMart Center offers a variety of school-based services to help support students with SM year-round! From school consultations and on-site or general training opportunities to our SM in the School Self-Paced Course, we partner with educators to build social communication, comfort, and connection in the school setting!

📩 Questions? Email us at Support@SelectiveMutismCenter.org or call us at (215) 887 5748!

10/22/2025

EP63 features a discussion between Dr Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna Blum, a lead Clinical Psychologist at the SMart Center and the Director of the SMart Center’s growing general mental health department, Counseling & Assessments.

In this episode, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna discuss the upcoming halloween holiday.

They talk through practical strategies for helping children with Selective Mutism navigate Halloween activities successfully, how to make Halloween fun rather than pressure-filled, ways to tailor experiences to each child's comfort level and developmental stage, and more.