Intensive Camp for Children With Selective Mutism 3-9* years old
Winter 2022 Session: January 17th-21st

We are thrilled to announce that we are offering in-person AND virtual camp classrooms for our Winter 2022 Mighty Mouth Kids Camp!

Kurtz Psychology has been flexible throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of the selective mutism community while also ensuring everyone’s health and safety.  We moved our Summer 2020 and Winter 2021 camps to our secure, online telehealth platform. Thanks to the vaccine availability, we were able to run two in-person sessions for our Summer 2021 camp with a reduced classroom size, and we plan to do the same for our Winter 2022 camp.

In addition to the typical classroom exposure that our kids get to practice, we are laser-focused on getting you, the parents, confident in your own SM treatment skills so that you can serve as your child’s “therapist” beyond camp.  The online format affords many families, who are otherwise unable to travel to NYC, the opportunity to participate in camp (state licenses permitting). The ages we serve this year will depend on the demand by our parent consumers for their children. While typically we serve 3-9 in non-COVID times, we need to be more restrictive this year due to the pandemic. Please contact our team for a no obligation appointment with one of our therapists to see if this is a good fit for you and your family.

Mighty Mouth Kids (MMK) is the SM Group Intensive model that Dr. Kurtz pioneered as the Brave Buddies model at the NYU Child Study Center in 2009 and later brought to the Child Mind Institute in 2010.
Kurtz Psychology Consulting PC is committed to improving the lives of children with selective mutism (SM) and their families. We are constantly developing new ways to spread awareness about SM, enhance treatment outcomes and improve long-term functioning, and disseminate our resources and knowledge to others.

In-Person and Virtual Session

Parent training (both sessions; all remote):

                      • Part 1: Monday, January 3rd at 12:00-2:00 PM EST 
                      • Part 2: Tuesday, January 4th at 12:00-2:00 PM EST
                      • Part 3: Wednesday, January 26th 12:00-2:00 PM EST

Lead-ins: January 10-14, 2022 (onsite for onsite group, virtual for virtual group*)

Group meeting: Friday, January 14th 1:00-2:00 PM EST (onsite for onsite group, virtual for virtual group*)

Camp Dates: January 17-21, 2022 (onsite for onsite group, virtual for virtual group*)

(*onsite groups and sessions are subject to change based on prevailing CDC and New York State pandemic guidelines in effect at the time of the camp)

*Interested families will be notified should we not get enough interest to fill a virtual classroom.

What is Mighty Mouth Kids?

  • Intensive group treatment for children with SM
    • In-person camp: age ranges will likely be 3-7 and 4-8
  • Replicates a school/camp setting with 1:1 counselor to camper ratio (allows goals and needs to be individualized)
  • All activities involve practicing verbalizations with adults and peers, with the primary goal being to generalize talking to all people, in all places, during all activities
  • Parent Involvement
    • In-person camp:  parents serve as their child’s counselor for two of the five camp days to improve their skills and maximize generalization beyond the camp week
  • Parent training and live parent coaching are also included

Fees & Administrative Details

  • Total Cost for the Winter 2022 5 Day camp is $4200 including lead-in sessions and parent training*
  • Kurtz Psychology offers a unique all-inclusive camp cost to help make the process more convenient for families. The cost includes:
    • 1-2 hour, parent-only evaluation session with a clinician
    • Baseline observation session with parent and child, done remotely for winter 2021
    • First hour of intervention, as decided by clinician
    • Up to 3 lead-in sessions, to get child comfortable enough to talk with staff or counselors
    • 1 hour Friday pre-camp group session
    • The 5-day camp program
    • Parent training and coaching that starts before camp
    • A 45-minute follow-up call to discuss feedback and next steps
  • Lead-in sessions
    • Lead-in times vary as a function of severity, exact number of hours cannot be provided prior to camp.
      • Our clinicians schedule the amount of lead-in times they see fit, but will release campers early from lead-ins if progress occurs more quickly than expected.
  • Payment plans and financial aid are available on a limited, need basis.
  • 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.
  • Refund policies for Mighty Mouth: A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to hold your child’s spot for the program. Full payment is required 30 calendar days prior to the start of the lead-in sessions, unless a written and signed payment plan is in effect.  No refunds can be made within the 30 days unless your spot is filled by someone on the waiting list, in which case you will be refunded payments made minus the $500 non-refundable deposit after the completion of the program. There is no guarantee that somebody will take your place from the waiting list. No fees can be kept on account to be applied to future programs.
  • COVID Pandemic and Illness: There is no additional consideration of refunds based on concerns about the pandemic or actual illness of any type. Families should consider waiting until the pandemic is over if they are not prepared to risk their changing their minds about participating. We are committed to following CDC Guidelines for running the program, including the requirement that all persons of age for vaccination do so and provide evidence of same.

*Our price model is currently being evaluated and may be subject to change

What is Mighty Mouth Kids?

  • Intensive group treatment for children with SM
    • In-person camp: age ranges will likely be 3-7 and 4-8
  • Replicates a school/camp setting with 1:1 counselor to camper ratio (allows goals and needs to be individualized)
  • All activities involve practicing verbalizations with adults and peers, with the primary goal being to generalize talking to all people, in all places, during all activities
  • Parent Involvement
    • In-person camp:  parents serve as their child’s counselor for two of the five camp days to improve their skills and maximize generalization beyond the camp week
  • Parent training and live parent coaching are also included

Fees & Administrative Details

  • Total Cost for the Winter 2022 5 Day camp is $4200 including lead-in sessions and parent training.
  • Kurtz Psychology offers a unique all-inclusive camp cost to help make the process more convenient for families. The cost includes:
    • 1-2 hour, parent-only evaluation session with a clinician
    • Baseline observation session with parent and child, done remotely for winter 2021
    • First hour of intervention, as decided by clinician
    • Up to 3 lead-in sessions, to get child comfortable enough to talk with staff or counselors
    • 1 hour Friday pre-camp group session
    • The 5-day camp program
    • Parent training and coaching that starts before camp
    • A 45-minute follow-up call to discuss feedback and next steps
  • Lead-in sessions
    • Lead-in times vary as a function of severity, exact number of hours cannot be provided prior to camp.
      • Our clinicians schedule the amount of lead-in times they see fit, but will release campers early from lead-ins if progress occurs more quickly than expected.
  • Payment plans and financial aid are available on a limited, need basis.
  • 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.
  • Refund policies for Mighty Mouth: A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to hold your child’s spot for the program. Full payment is required 30 calendar days prior to the start of the lead-in sessions, unless a written and signed payment plan is in effect.  No refunds can be made within the 30 days unless your spot is filled by someone on the waiting list, in which case you will be refunded payments made minus the $500 non-refundable deposit after the completion of the program. There is no guarantee that somebody will take your place from the waiting list. No fees can be kept on account to be applied to future programs.
  • COVID Pandemic and Illness: There is no additional consideration of refunds based on concerns about the pandemic or actual illness of any type. Families should consider waiting until the pandemic is over if they are not prepared to risk their changing their minds about participating. We are committed to following CDC Guidelines for running the program, including the requirement that all persons of age for vaccination do so and provide evidence of same.

ABC TV Nightline feature on MMK

Highlights over the years

  • Dr. Kurtz trained team of professionals in 11 different locations to replicate this innovative model including 7 US cities, as well as teams in Canada and Hong Kong.
  • Professionals from all over the world have come to study the program with Dr. Kurtz.
  • This SM treatment model was featured on ABC’s Nightline program and PBS’s Keeping Kids Healthy.
  • Selective Mutism Learning University was created by the Kurtz Psychology Team as the first and only web-based course to teach caregivers, teachers, and other professionals the same skills that are used in the Mighty Mouth Kids program.
  • Mighty Mouth Kids is continually revised based on ongoing program evaluation; for example we recently added live parent coaching to help with generalization.

For More Information on MMK

  • Complete the Mighty Mouth request form below and a staff member will be in touch within one business day.
  • Contact the SM Intensive Program Coordinator directly at 212.658.0110, exit. 124 or via email at info@kurtzpsychology.com.
Parent Information Request Form
Click here for list of other PCIT-SM providers in the US and Around the World

Training Opportunities

Interested in becoming a counselor? Visit our Training webpage.

Kurtz Psychology has trained other sites to provide this same intensive camp model for younger children with SM. The map to the right shows the places we have trained and continue to collaborate with in 3 countries on 2 continents.

If you are interested in getting your site trained, please email Dr. Kurtz.

Mighty Mouth Kids Camp | Kurtz Psychology