Intensive Camp for Children With Selective Mutism (SM) 3-9 years old

Due to the COVID-19 situation, we will be running our winter 2021 Mighty Mouth Kids Camp totally online. Ironically, this has given us an incredible opportunity to re-conceptualize how we help parents help their kids!  In effect the parents will be the “counselors” and we’ll be laser-focused on getting you, the parents, skilled before the camp week starts.  We made the online, virtual camp schedule paced to take into account the developmental needs and family stresses at this tough time. The online, virtual camp allows many families to participate who otherwise could not afford to travel to NYC. You are welcome at any point to talk directly with our program staff or Dr. Kurtz

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.

Virtual Winter Session

Parent Training: February 1-5th, 2021
Lead-ins: February 8-12th, 2021
Camp: February 15-19th 2021

In-Person* Summer Session

Parent training: July 19-23rd, 2021
Lead-ins: July 26th-31st, 2021
Camp Dates: August 2-6th, 2021

(*subject to change)

What is Mighty Mouth Kids?

  • Intensive group treatment for 3-9 year olds with SM
  • 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 training and live parent coaching are also included

Fees & Administrative Details

  • Total Cost for the Summer 2020 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 summer 2020
    • 1 hour of treatment planning or first hour of intervention, as decided by clinician
    • All 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.

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

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