Support for Professionals Working with Selective Mutism
A brain-based, connection-led approach to selective mutism for therapists
Understand the relationship between the brain, body, and voice and learn how to support communication by regulating what sits beneath it.
Selective mutism is often misunderstood and can present in ways that feel complex, inconsistent or difficult to shift. Progress may be slow, and approaches that focus on encouraging speech can sometimes increase anxiety rather than reduce it.
I help experienced therapists who feel stuck with selective mutism cases move from feeling overwhelmed, pressured, and ineffective to confidently using brain-informed, connection-led strategies.
My work is grounded in understanding the relationship between the brain, the body, and the voice.
Rather than focusing on speech first, I teach therapists how to regulate the underlying systems that sit beneath communication allowing speech to emerge naturally, rather than being pushed.
This gives you a clear and practical way to support children in a way that feels ethical, effective, and fully aligned with your values.
Who This Is For
I work with professionals supporting children and young people with selective mutism, including:
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- Speech and language therapists
- Psychologists and psychotherapists
- Teachers and school staff
- SENCOs and inclusion teams
- Other allied professionals
Selective Mutism Newsletter for Professionals
Looking for specialist support with selective mutism?
Whether you are seeking supervision, training or consultation, I offer professional support that is thoughtful, practical and grounded in real-world experience.
Professional Services
Clinical Supervision
Structured, reflective supervision for professionals working with selective mutism. This includes case discussion, formulation, intervention planning, and support with complex or stuck cases.
Training and CPD
Training for schools, teams and professionals who want to better understand selective mutism and respond in ways that are supportive, consistent and effective.
MY APPROACH
My work is grounded in the principle of safety before speech.
Children with selective mutism are experiencing a nervous system state where communication is not accessible in certain environments.
This is why I focus on the relationship between the brain, the body, and the voice.
I teach professionals how to regulate and support the systems that sit beneath communication first creating the conditions where speech can emerge naturally, rather than being pushed.
HOW I SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS
- develop clearer formulations for selective mutism
- understand what may be maintaining a child’s silence
- adapt approaches when progress feels limited
- reduce unintentional pressure on the child
- work more effectively with families and schools
- feel more confident
WHY THIS WORK MATTERS
Supporting communication through safety
When children feel safe, understood, and supported, communication can begin to emerge in its own time.
For many children with selective mutism, the challenge is not knowing what to say, but whether their brain and body feel safe enough to access speech in that moment.
This is why we do not begin with pressure or expectation.
We begin with safety.
Are you a parent or carer?
If you are looking for support for your child, please visit my dedicated parent website:
There you’ll find guidance, resources and information about next steps.
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“Does my child REALLY have selective mutism?”
This is something a lot of parents have emailed me about. And honestly, I can completely see why! That’s why today, I wanted to really clear the fog around selective mutism. So you regain a sense of peace by knowing for sure whether your child has it. And then from there, you’ll know EXACTLY how to help your child.
👉🏻 6 FREE Selective Mutism PDFs Every Parent Needs! ►►
https://www.stepstobravetalking.com/free-tips-and-pdf
Mentoring and supervision for therapists
Contact me for my step by step approach for supporting parents, carers and professionals.
Supporting children with selective mutism (SM) is complex.
Speech therapists need special skills and careful ways to help. I think supervision is really important for therapists working with kids with SM. It helps them learn better ways to help and grow professionally.
During the supervision calls, I want to offer a place for therapists to address their own countertransference and emotional reactions when working with clients with SM.