We don’t treat to speak; we treat the whole person, not the symptom.
As a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Founder & Director Emeritus of the Selective Mutism Association (SMA), Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum (“Dr. E”) views Selective Mutism as a social communication anxiety where mutism is merely a symptom.
  1. CommuniCamp™ utilizes her evidence-based treatment, S-CAT®, to understand each camper’s individual factors into the development and maintenance of his/her SM (aka “The WHYs of SM) as well as understanding their baseline stage of social communication on the Social Communication Bridge©. S-CAT® is grounded in understanding that SM is so much than just not talking. We integrate components of behavioral-therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and an insight-oriented approach to increase social communication and promote social confidence.
  2. Most other programs require your child to be “verbal enough” to be treated in a group.  We are able to accept new patients at any stage on the Social Communication Bridge™ meaning a child/teen could be nonverbal and participate in CommuniCamp™. No matter a child’s/teen’s baseline level for social communication, e.g. shut-down and non-communicative, nonverbal, somewhat communicative, etc, your child can be eligible for group treatment. We do not require lead-in sessions for a child to become verbal for CommuniCamp™.
  3. CommuniCamp™ doesn’t simulate a school environment. It literally IS a school environment. The SMart Center rents out a local school which allows campers to see and HEAR themselves communicating in a school environment that might be particularly challenging in their daily lives.
  4. FULL TIME Parent Training: The entire time your child is in treatment (15 hours over the course of three days) we educate, train, answer questions, and lead breakout support sessions so you (the parents and family members) can ask questions, share stories, receive support, and feel confident implementing the goals and strategies you and your child learned at camp as soon as you get home.
  5. No child or teen should remain mute! Which is why we welcome new and established patients, ages 3-17-years old. Click here to learn how we help teens cross the Social Communication Bridge®!
  6. We provide relatable support. We treat SM all day, every day. It’s all we do! And as a parent of a child who overcame SM, Dr. E knows the feeling of needing support! We empathize and share our experiences as you learn S-CAT® based strategies and interventions.

Submit your application today at www.CommuniCamp.org! We look forward to hopefully meeting you and helping you and your child across the Social Communication Bridge® to social comfort and communication.

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 “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 level 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©.