Podcast - Selective Mutism Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center

Unspoken Words: A Selective Mutism Podcast by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum

Selective Mutism is a social communication anxiety disorder that can be incredibly difficult to navigate and often misunderstood. Fortunately, your host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum DO, has over 30 years in understanding and treating Selective Mutism.

This podcast serves to educate those who are either struggling themselves or know someone who is struggling. Listen along for tips, strategies, and everything and anything selective mutism.

For all podcast inquiries please contact Dakota Hornak at dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org

EPISODES:

EP 16- How to navigate the testing & assessment process at school and accommodate school-related difficulties (73-min): Dr. E sits down with SMart Center Lead Clinician Jennifer Brittingham to discuss ways to navigate the testing and assessment process, what to do when your child has difficulty engaging with peers, how to build comfort with teachers, and more.

Relevant resources: EP 5: Back to School, EP 9: Importance of School-Based Accommodations, EP15, What is Selective Mutism? Webinar, Summer Vacation & Back-to-School Guide, Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child, Social Engagement is the KEY and FUEL to Communcation Handout

EP 15- Differences between 504 and IEP plans, getting the school on board with treatment, building social skills & more (44-min):Dr. E is joined once again by SMart Center Lead Clinician Jennifer Brittingham to discuss the differences between 504 and IEP plans, ways to get your child’s school staff on board with treatment, how to make progress without a formal 504 or IEP plan, and more. This episode is the perfect primer for the new school year ahead.

Relevant resources: EP 5: Back to School, EP 9: Importance of School-Based Accommodations, Summer Vacation & Back-to-School Guide, Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child

EP 14- Back to School (Recorded Sept. ’22, 71-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum welcomes Jennifer Brittingham LPC, a SMart Center lead clinician and school consultant to the podcast to discuss all things back to school! From preparing your child/teen and their teachers, to the comfort-building strategies that help with progression of communication, to how to educate the school, to determining IEP & 504 plans, this episode is jam-packed!

Relevant resources: About My Child⁠, ⁠The Selective Mutism Summer Vacation and Back to School Guide⁠, ⁠Social Communication Bridge®⁠, ⁠Preparing for the Upcoming School Year⁠

Ask Dr E – How to apply CBT, build friendships, assess your child’s emotional regulation & more (33-min): In the second installment of our Ask Dr. E podcast series, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum answers five questions relating to teenagers with Selective Mutism and discusses topics including how to apply CBT, help build friendships, assess your child’s emotional regulation, and more.

Relevant resources: Episode Transcript, Ask Dr. E

EP 13, Preparing for Summer w/ Jennifer Brittingham, LPC:This episode features a great discussion between Dr. E and Jennifer Brittingham – the SMart Center’s Lead Clinician and School Consultant – on what parents can do to prepare their children for the summer months ahead. These next few months will provide individuals with SM with some unique opportunities. There will be untraditional socialization situations with peers, visits with extended family, and may even include a summer vacation to a new, unfamiliar place. Dr E and Jen break all these scenarios down and more in this episode.

Relevant resources: Summer Strategies 101, Summer Strategies 102, Summer Vacation & Back-to-School Guide (download eBook)

EP 12, Live Chat w/ Parents of Children (Ages 3-8): This episode features a second installation of our live chat with parents. In this episode, we focus the discussion on children ages three to eight with Selective Mutism. This live chat is moderated once again by CommuniCamp Director and Outreach Coordinator, LisaMarie Vargas. Thank you to the parents who joined the show and for engaging in a thoughtful discussion with Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum and LisaMarie!

Relevant resources: About My Child Handout, “Helping the Child with Selective Mutism Acknowledge, Assess, and Understand their Anxiety” Handout, “Helping Individuals with Selective Mutism Become Confident Social Communicators” Webinar, Unspoken Words: A Child’s View of SM Book, Research Studies

EP 11, PT 2: THE MISSING LINK with JENNIFER BRITTINGHAM, LPC (49-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum is joined once again by Jennifer Brittingham, LPC to break down Stage 2 of the Social Communication Bridge®, otherwise known as the transitional stage of communication. Here at the SMart Center, we often refer to this stage as ‘The Missing Link’ to treatment.

Relevant resources: Transitional Stage: The Missing Link, The Social Communication Bridge®, EP 4: The Social Communication Bridge, EP 5: Back to School

EP 11: THE MISSING LINK with JENNIFER BRITTINGHAM, LPC (41-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum is joined once again by Jennifer Brittingham, LPC to break down Stage 2 of the Social Communication Bridge®, otherwise known as the transitional stage of communication. Here at the SMart Center, we often refer to this stage as ‘The Missing Link’ to treatment.

Relevant resources: Transitional Stage: The Missing Link, The Social Communication Bridge®, EP 4: The Social Communication Bridge, EP 5: Back to School

DR. E’S RECENT GUEST APPEARANCE ON THE PSYCHED TO PRACTICE PODCAST (74-min): A few weeks ago, Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum had the pleasure of joining Dr. Ray Christner and Paul Wagner on the Psyched to Practice podcast. Psyched to Practice is a podcast designed to explore the far reaches of mental health. Dr. E and the podcast’s co-hosts covered a lot of great material on Selective Mutism and we want to bring everything discussed directly to our podcast feed.

Thank you, Dr. Ray Christner and Paul Wagner, for allowing us to bring this amazing episode to our listeners!

Relevant resources: Ask Dr. E a Question, Psyched the Practice Podcast

ASK DR. E #1 (26-min): If you follow us on social media or receive our monthly newsletter, you’re likely familiar with our ongoing Ask Dr. E segment. “Ask Dr E” is where our community can ask Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum any question they have on any topic relating to Selective Mutism. Since rolling out this segment in 2022, we have received some amazing questions. As a result, we are giving the segment more life by giving it its own series on our podcast feed! These Q&A-type episodes will be released once a quarter, and we can’t be more excited!

Relevant resources: Episode Transcript, Ask Dr. E a Question

EP 10, LIVE CHAT W/ PARENTS OF TEENS (45-min): Dr Elisa Shipon-Blum answers questions from a couple of parents of teenagers that had Selective Mutism. The discussion is moderated by CommuniCamp Director and Outreach Coordinator LisaMarie Vargas. Thank you to both parents who joined the show and for engaging in a thoughtful discussion with Dr. E and LisaMarie!

Relevant resources: SM through the Ages | Helping Individuals with Selective Mutism Become Confident Social Communicators | Let’s Talk Teens with Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum

EP 9, SCHOOL-BASED ACCOMMODATIONS & INTERVENTIONS (75-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum welcomes Jennifer Brittingham, LPC back to the podcast to discuss the general approach to providing effective school-based accommodations and interventions and why it’s important to have them.

Relevant resources: Perceptions are important! Caregivers’ perceptions of their own and their schools’ views about selective mutism | Easing School Jitters for the Selectively Mute Child | The Ideal Classroom Setting for the Selectively Mute Child | School-based Services

BONUS EP, LIVE Q&A PANEL @ COMMUNICAMP (73-min): This bonus episode features a live Q&A panel that was recorded at a recent CommuniCamp. In this episode, Dr. Elisa Shipon Blum moderates a five-guest panel of former patients and parents of patients who share their journey overcoming Selective Mutism.

CommuniCamp resources: Landing Page | Testimonials | Interest Form

EP8, HOLDIAY PREP (40-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum sits down with co-host Alex Collins to answer some listener questions on how to best prepare yourself, child or teen heading into the holidays.

Relevant resources: Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum’s Holiday Preparations and Practicalities | What is Selective Mutism

EP7, The QUAD (99-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum welcomes Jennifer Brittingham, LPC, back on the podcast to discuss the prevalence of eating, sleeping, toileting, and behavioral difficulties associated with Selective Mutism – otherwise known as the ‘QUAD’.

Relevant resources: The “QUAD”: Eating, Sleeping, Toileting and Difficult Behaviors in Children with Selective Mutism | What is Selective Mutism

EP6, MEDICATION (37-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum uses this month’s podcast episode to explain the reasons to consider the use of medication as an adjunct in the treatment of Selective Mutism. The SMart Center receives questions on this topic all the time. “Should I use medication?” “For how long should I use medication?” “What type of medication should I use?” “What’s the dosing of medication to use?” “When can I ween off?” “How do I ween?” Dr. E answers all of these questions and more in this month’s episode.

Relevant resources: Medication in the Treatment of Selective Mutism | What is Selective Mutism

EP5, BACK TO SCHOOL W/ JENNIFER BRITTINGHAM LPC (70-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum welcomes Jennifer Brittingham LPC, a SMart Center lead clinician and school consultant to the podcast to discuss all things back to school! From preparing your child/teen and their teachers, to the comfort–building strategies that help with progression of communication, to how to educate the school, to determining IEP & 504 plans, this episode is jam-packed!

Relevant resources: About My Child | The Selective Mutism Summer Vacation and Back to School Guide | Social Communication Bridge® | Preparing the Child with Selective Mutism for the Upcoming School Year

EP4, THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION BRIDGE® (BONUS FAQ; 61-min): We received so many questions after our two-part episode on The Social Communication Bridge® that we decided to record a BONUS episode and answer some of them! Dr. E and co-host Alex Collins answer ten questions over the course of this 61-minute episode.

EP4, THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION BRIDGE® (PART 2; 26-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum continues her discussion on The Social Communication Bridge®. Dr. E and co-host Alex Collins discuss how to ‘transition’ from nonverbal to verbal communication, key strategies within the school setting, how to bridge up or down to reduce anxiety, and much more!

EP4, THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION BRIDGE® (PART 1; 35-min): Learn all about Dr. Elisa Shipon–Blum’s popular visual tool, the Social Communication Bridge ©. Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and co-host Alex Collins discuss how and why the Bridge was developed, how to determine an individual’s stage of communication on the Bridge, key strategies to progress across the Bridge, the importance of respecting which stage an individual is on the Bridge, and much more!

EP3, COMORBIDITIES OF SELECTIVE MUTISM W/ DR. VERA JOFFE (Part 2; 38-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum continues her conversation with Board Certified Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist Vera Joffe Ph.D., P.A.. Dr. E and Dr. Joffe discuss bilingual/multiculturalism, being an immigrant, social anxiety, auditory processing, and more!

EP3, COMORBIDITIES OF SELECTIVE MUTISM W/ DR. VERA JOFFE (Part 1; 35-min): Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum welcomes Board Certified Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist Vera Joffe Ph.D., P.A. to the podcast. Dr. E and Dr. Joffe chat about the why’s of Selective Mutism, Factors that can lead to the development and maintenance of Selective Mutism (speech and language, timidity, sensory processing, etc.), strategies and treatment recommendations, and more!

EP2 S-CAT®: A Whole Person Approach (44-min) – On this episode of Unspoken Words, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum (‘Dr. E’) goes into detail about the philosophy and strategies that make up S-CAT®, her evidence-based Social Communication Anxiety Treatment® approach. Dr. E also unpacks the WHYs of Selective Mutism that are essential to understanding what is causing and maintaining the condition. This whole person approach respects an individual’s unique needs and their stage of social communication.

Related Resources: Our Treatment Approach, Social Communication Bridge®

EP1 More Than Mutism (26-min) – In the first episode of Unspoken Words, Dr. Shipon-Blum describes how she got to where she is today and why Selective Mutism (SM) is such a misunderstood diagnosis. She is so excited to be sharing her expertise with you! Welcome to Unspoken Words.