Selective Mutism Groups

All Groups Open for Registration:
Child, Teen, and Parent Groups

Child Selective Mutism Group

Tuesdays 3:30pm to 5pm

We’re excited to begin a short-term, weekly group focused on verbal group interactions in a classroom settings! This group will provide practice “brave talking” with clinician oversight, providing your child opportunities to work on speaking in a group format. Each week we will practice an afternoon meeting with introductions, weather, and sharing one personal fact. This will be followed by a short activity. Over the course of the four weeks, every child will have an opportunity to practice show and tell in front of the group.

Eligibility:

  • Child 4 to 6 years old
  • Ability to commit to the 4 week cycle
  • $1200 per cycle, paid before the first session
  • Drop-off and pick-up in office on a weekly basis

Next Cycle is March 10, 17, 24, and 31.

See below to learn about how to register your child!

Adolescent SM and Social Anxiety Skills Group

Open-ended group, welcome to join at anytime!

Wednesdays 5 to 6pm

Ages 12 to 16

Teens who struggle with selective mutism or social anxiety experience significant discomfort around speaking and/or interacting in social situations. While they may be chatterboxes at home, they may fall silent or appear frozen in public settings (e.g., classrooms, restaurants) or with certain individuals (e.g., teachers, coaches, peers).

Our group intervention at Kurtz Psychology incorporates evidence-based approaches with engaging and relevant activities to target your teen’s increased verbalizations and interactions with adults and peers.

See below for details on how to register your teen!

Internet Selective Mutism Skills Group for Parents

2nd Tuesday of Every Month @ Noon EST!

Effective anxiety treatment involves living an exposure lifestyle in which you play a key role facilitating “brave talking” exposures in your child’s daily life. We know from experience that you can feel alone in the work, unsure in your new role, and in need of connection with other parents going through similar experiences.
This skills group will explore questions such as:
  • How can I best support my child’s ambivalence in anxious situations?
  • When am I accommodating vs enabling their anxious behaviors?
  • When are they ready to take the next step or face new challenges?
Facilitated by a clinician specializing in selective mutism, these booster sessions will offer a space for Kurtz Psychology parents to connect and share experiences with each other. There will be themed topics each month whereby parents can consult with a licensed clinician regarding ways to best support their child based on their current goals.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PARENT SKILLS GROUP

Fees & Administrative Details

  • The costs for our Selective Mutism Groups are as follows:
    • Adolescent SM and Social Anxiety Skills Group: $200 per session.
    • Child SM Group: $1200 for the 4 week cycle, paid in full by the first session.
    • Internet SM Skills Group for Parents: $50 per session.
  • Insurance reimbursement: We do not participate in any insurance plans but gladly provide you the detailed, itemized documentation for you to submit to your insurance company.
  • Please call 212.658.0110 ext 122 for further information about pricing and billing.

How to Register Your Child or Teen for One of Our Groups

Some parents are seeking help for the first time and many are coming to us after other attempts to help have not worked. Our process is straightforward: a careful assessment leads to the best treatment plan.

The steps look like this:

    1. Initial inquiry Email smgroups@kurtzpsychology.com or call 212.658.0110, ext. 124 to speak with our Administrative Team to find out more details or begin the process.
    2. Pre-appointment questionnaires: After you schedule the evaluation session with us, we send you an invite to our patient portal – a secure website – to complete some pre-appointment forms letting you detail your concerns and complete some baseline questions. We will review all your answers before you come in and discuss them with you in the parents-only face-to-face appointment.
    3. Parent-only session: We will meet with you for 1.5-2 hours to review your child’s history in detail, talk in great detail about what has worked and what has not, and complete a diagnostic interview.  We will do our best to understand the family dynamics and how they affect your concerns.
    4. Parent-patient observation or Patient one on one session : In most cases, we will then conduct a parent-child observation session to see firsthand what the issues are. We have one-way mirrors that allow unobtrusive observations. Where it is developmentally appropriate, or for other reasons we decide together, we will spend time 1:1 with your child or observe them in a real-life setting, such as school, to see the behaviors of concern first hand.
    5. Treatment Planning Session: We then meet with the parents for approximately 1-hour to review our findings and make treatment recommendations. We will suggest the behavioral treatment that fit best for your situation and talk with you about next steps.

To Get More Information:

Contact the SM Programs Coordinator directly at 212.658.0110, exit. 124 or via email at smgroups@kurtzpsychology.com

Selective Mutism Groups | Kurtz Psychology