About Dr. E

Elisa Shipon-Blum, DO – or Dr. E, as her patients call her – is the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (SMart Center). She is a board certified physician who specializes in Selective Mutism. Over the past 30 years, Dr. E has helped thousands of children, teens, and adults from around the world overcome Selective Mutism. Notably, the inspiration of her work comes from her daughter, Sophia, who suffered from and overcame Selective Mutism.

She is the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Selective Mutism Association (SMA). She is also the Director of the Selective Mutism Research Institute (SMRI), a foundation established to study Dr. Shipon-Blum’s theories and treatment methodologies on Selective Mutism.

Her Work

As an Osteopathic physician, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum focuses on the whole person and not a symptom. She views SM as a social communication anxiety where mutism is merely a symptom.

Dr. E developed the evidenced-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment (S-CAT)®. According to Dr. E’s work, The key to an effective treatment plan is understanding factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of SM (The Why’s of SM) as well as understanding an individual’s baseline stage of social communication on the Social Communication Bridge©. Then, working as a team; the treatment professional, parents, and school staff, help the individual build coping skills to combat anxious feelings and to progress across the Social Communication Bridge©. Leveraging her effective S-CAT® program, Dr. E created CommuniCamp™, an intensive in-person group treatment and parent education program for children and parents affected with Selective Mutism, social anxiety, and extreme shyness – with dates all throughout the calendar year. 

Dr. E in the Media

Dr. Shipon-Blum is considered one of the world’s leading experts in the treatment, research, and understanding of Selective Mutism.  She lectures throughout the country and performs school evaluations & trainings for treatment professionals, educators, and parents.

Dr. E  has been featured on 20/20, CNN, Inside Edition, and Good Morning America, as well as other local, national, and international television and radio broadcasts. Additionally, she has been highlighted in TIME Magazine, People Magazine, and has interviewed with newspapers such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, San Diego Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Palm Beach Post.

In May 2022, Dr. Shipon-Blum launched Unspoken Words, her very own podcast. Each episode aims to educate those who are either struggling or know someone who is struggling with Selective Mutism.

Research

Dr. Shipon-Blum is consistently involved in multiple collaborative research projects with top researchers and clinicians. 

To read about published research studies Dr. Shipon-Blum has participated in, click here!