| "Tip
of The Month Club" "Adolescent Selective Mutism Resolved" The typical mode of thinking for parents when dealing with a young child with selective mutism is that the child will grow out of the problem. This belief is widespread. It is the result of confusion regarding social anxiety in general, differences in parenting philosophy, and last, but certainly not least, the anxiety that the parents themselves are experiencing. The reality is that selective mutism is not only a manifestation of social anxiety, but a variation of obsessive compulsive disorder. Children and adolescents with this problem are totally incapable of having any “initiative” (meaning start up motivation) to help themselves so it’s up to the parents if there is going to be any healing. This statement is not parent bashing. It does not mean that the parents are not “good parents”. It is a matter of fact clinical reality. I have worked with over 10,000 patients since 1978. Listen carefully to this 20 minute interview (Click here).You will gain a lot of insight into the problem and the “process” of healing. You can then add to your awareness by listening to the free seminar “Selective Mutism: Professional Baseball player”. Click here. I am currently working with The Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety. Andrew Kukes was an intellectually gifted young adult who committed suicide because of his social anxiety and obsessive characteristics. We are creating a training program for social anxiety (available next fall) for professionals and the community at large. In this 10 hour video program 2 hours are dedicated to selective mutism Included in this segment will be interviews with real patients (children, adolescents, and adults). Don’t kid yourself. People don’t grow out of the problem (when the anxiety patterns are substantial). It is so much easier to resolve selective mutism at an early age. Age 3-4 is better than 7-8. 7-8 is certainly better than 15-16 and so on. The goal is to get the anxiety under control before it insidiously becomes more integrated into the personality and lifestyle. You may want to consider the following options:
For those interested in initiating treatment, either in the Great Neck office or via telephone or Skype, please understand that the wait time for the first session is approximately a month. Wishing you a “high performance” spring, Jonathan
Berent, L.C.S.W.
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