Meet Guliana
At three-years-old, Guliana was mute in all social settings but is now fully verbal everywhere! How? She and her parents began treatment through our One-Day Individualized Intensive Program then enrolled in our CommuniCamp™, and had three follow-up consultations (1x per month).
Watch this video of her speaking in front of her entire class! Go, G, GO! (Wait for it…. listen for who she wants to be when she grows up!)
Guliana and her mom often return to CommuniCamp™ to meet with and speak to families about their experiences. Guliana visits her peers to show them that they are not alone and that they too can overcome SM like she did! Her mama speaks during the parent sessions to give advice and hope to our families. Thank you, Mom, and Guliana for being an incredible light for us and our SMart Center Families!
If you are considering enrolling your family in an upcoming CommuniCamp™ Intensive Group Treatment & Parent Training Program with the SMart Center and would like to speak with Guliana’s mom about her experience, please email CommuniCamp@SelectiveMutismCenter.org so we can connect you!
To effectively overcome Selective Mutism and all anxieties, an individual needs to be involved in a treatment program, such as those rooted in evidenced-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® (S-CAT®), like Individualized Intensives and CommuniCamp. Developed by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, this holistic or “whole-person” treatment approach is designed to reduce anxiety, build self-esteem, increase social comfort and communication in all settings.
As a physician, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum (“Dr. E”) views SM as a social communication anxiety where mutism is merely a symptom. The key to an effective treatment plan is understanding factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of SM as well as understanding a child’s baseline stage of social communication on the Social Communication Bridge®. Then, working as a team, the treatment professional, parents, and school staff members help the child build coping skills to combat anxious feelings and to progress across the Social Communication Bridge©.
