We receive a lot of questions about our Online Sessions, here are some common FAQ's:
Are you really able to help children to overcome Selective Mutism through Online Sessions?
Yes! We have helped hundreds of families in this way!
I don't live in England, can I still do sessions with you?
Yes! We have supported families from all over the world through Online Sessions, including; Ireland, Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Brazil, Luxembourg, Spain, Greece, Thailand, Singapore and many many other countries! The sessions work in exactly the same way.
How do Online Sessions work?
Once your session is booked, you will receive a confirmation email with a zoom link. During the initial session, your therapist will firstly want to gain an understanding of your child's unique presentation of Selective Mutism. Following this, they will run through some essential information about SM before moving onto a plan for your child - specific goals based on what they have learnt about your child with tailored strategies and techniques.
Will I need follow up sessions?
We recommend you have sessions with us every 6-8 weeks. We hope that you find your initial session really helpful, but the real magic happens in the follow up sessions. This is when we review how your child has been doing with their SM since our last session. We help to troubleshoot any challenges you may be having and provide you with guidance to help your child move to the next step.
Should my child join the session?
No, your child shouldn't join the session. The session is for you to discuss your child's SM with the therapist.
Can my child's school join the sessions?
Yes, absolutely! We love it when teachers and TA's join Online Sessions so that we can discuss directly with them how your child is presenting at school. It's ideal when we can provide guidance directly to the people who work with your child at school. We ask that school staff join from the second session so that the first session can be spent getting to know you, and talking through your child's SM in detail as well as making an initial plan. They are very welcome to join from the second session.
What if my child's school can't join?
That's ok! We recommend however, that you speak to them afterwards to pass on any information to them from the session.
There is the option to add a report, should I do this?
A report after the initial session is often useful for parents to have everything covered during the first session in a clear written format. This can also be useful to share with the school and refer back to it if needed. A report isn't compulsory though and we do encourage you to take notes during your session (so make sure you have a pen and paper with you!). The report will be sent to you within 2 weeks of your session.
How long will it take for my child to overcome SM?
Unfortunately we cannot give an answer to this question as it depends on multiple factors, for example, how consistently yourself and the school implement the recommendations. It also depends on the level of your child's anxiety when we start. We have seen children start to make progress with their SM after just one session, others take longer and other families require sessions on an ongoing basis. Just like any therapy, however, we cannot give a guarantee that your child will make progress. Although we feel pretty confident that they will if the recommendations we discuss are implemented in the correct way and consistently.
I would really like you to work directly with my child, is this possible?
This depends on several factors, for example, how close you live to one of our therapists' locations, as well as our waiting list. There is also the option of bringing your child to our therapy room in London. Please ask us about the possibility of direct therapy during your Online Session.
If you can not work with my child directly, is it still possible to help them to overcome SM through Online Sessions?!
We have helped hundreds of children to overcome SM through Online Sessions alone (and having never met the child)! The beauty of Online Sessions is that we are guiding you (the adults who see your child every day) on what to do to help them in every day situations.
Can you work with my child online?
Yes! We have developed Online Therapy Sessions which we deliver to families all over the world! We have even helped children in Australia speak to their teacher for the first time through Online Therapy Sessions! Many families are sceptical about how this could work for their child; of course we cannot guarantee that every child would respond to this, however, we have now worked with many children successfully in this way. We have even helped children talk to their grandparents for the first time during these sessions! If you are interested in Online Therapy Sessions, please let us know. You will always start with Online Sessions to begin with and your therapist will assess whether they feel Online Therapy Sessions would be appropriate in your child's case.
I have worked with other organisations online before and I didn't find it helpful...
We are not sure what support you have received previously, however, what we can say is that our approach is highly practical. We will give you tangible strategies that you can start implementing to help your child right away. What is also unique about us is that we only work with children with Selective Mutism. We specialise in this one condition and are really experienced in understanding what works specifically for children with SM. We are also super passionate with helping children with Selective Mutism!
I'd like to book a session, what now?
Please send us a message here, we will send you further information, including an initial information form to fill out about your child. Once you return this to us, we will send you the link to your therapists calendar and you can choose a slot for your session :)