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 of experience in understanding and treating Selective Mutism. This podcast serves to educate those who are struggling (or those who may know someone who is struggling) and to allow their words to be heard. Listen along for tips, strategies, and everything and anything selective mutism. For all podcast inquiries please contact Dakota Hornak at dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org

Unspoken Words: A Selective Mutism Podcast by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum is a health podcast hosted by SMart Center, with 93 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

SMart Center hosts Unspoken Words: A Selective Mutism Podcast by Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum, a health show with 93 episodes published.

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

  1 on 1 w/ Maureen (a mom whose son overcame Selective Mutism)

  Aug 17, 202613 min

  In this Unspoken Words Short, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum (Dr. E) sits down with Maureen, whose son Lucas first came to the SMart Center for treatment at age three. Together in this episode, they to look back on his journey with selective mutism.Lucas is now 16, plays in two rap bands, and has no memory of selective mutism being part of who he is. But Maureen takes listeners back to who he was before treatment: a toddler so verbal at home that it shocked her to learn from his teacher that he'd never once spoken at school, and whose sensory sensitivities to noise, crowds, and textures turned out to be the real root of his silence.Maureen walks through what changed things for her family: discovering "comfort before communication" as the guiding principle of treatment, working with Lucas's school to build in playdates with his teacher, informal "spot work" from a speech therapist, and a buddy system, all before ever pushing him to talk, and learning, as a parent, to step back and stop speaking for him so he could find his own voice.The conversation closes with Maureen's advice for families still early in the journey: that there is real hope on the other side, that following the gains and trusting the process works, and that connecting with someone else going through the same experience can turn an isolating struggle into a shared one.Thank you for listening to Unspoken Words, a selective mutism podcast hosted by Dr. E and the SMart Center, produced by New Editions Productions. Have a question for a future episode? Submit it through the Ask Dr. E form at SelectiveMutismCenter.org/askdre.Follow us on Instagram (@UnspokenWords_Podcast) and YouTube (Unspoken Words by Dr. E), or join our newsletter for more content. New episodes release every other Monday at 6am Eastern. -- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : ⁠https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/⁠ ⁠ Ask Dr. E ⁠ a question of your own! ⁠Learn more⁠ about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our ⁠ SMart Center success stories⁠ ! ⁠Get started⁠ at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes ⁠ here⁠ . For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on ⁠ Instagram⁠ & ⁠ YouTube⁠ ⁠Learn more about CommuniCamp⁠ , our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program - For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠ ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠⁠ This podcast was produced and published by ⁠ New Edition Productions⁠ (neweditionconsulting.com)

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

  1 on 1 w/ Leila (a teen who overcame Selective Mutism)

  Aug 10, 202616 min

  This episode of the Unspoken Words podcast is a reunion. Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum sits down with Leila, who first came to the SMart Center for treatment at age 14, to reflect on what actually changes when someone works through selective mutism. Now 20 and heading into her senior year of college as a psychology major, Leila is candid about how unconvinced she was walking in, having spent years being told she was simply anxious or shy. Leila describes what selective mutism looked like from the inside: she was rarely fully mute, but she could not express herself the way she saw other people doing it. She became, in her words, "really good at avoiding situations," and the hardest part was not the silence itself but the loneliness it created. It was not until she attended CommuniCamp and met other teens facing the same struggle that she realized, for the first time, she was not alone. Dr. E and Leila walk through the strategies that moved her forward: scripted interactions at restaurants and bookstores, using her mom as an intermediary before gradually taking over the conversation herself, and building the confidence to initiate on her own. Progress felt slow at first, driven by small wins proving the strategies worked. The episode closes with Leila's advice for families still in the middle of it: for teens who feel hopeless, there is a path forward even if the journey looks different for everyone, and for parents, the work is to listen, offer grace instead of pressure, and hold on to who their child really is underneath the anxiety. As Dr. E reminds her, so much of the process is simply helping a child believe what the people around them already know to be true. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/ Ask Dr. E a question of your own! Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our SMart Center success stories ! Get started at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes here . For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on Instagram & YouTube Learn more about CommuniCamp , our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program - For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠ This podcast was produced and published by New Edition Productions (neweditionconsulting.com)

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  Episode #81

  EP81: Stop Asking "How Do I Get My Child to Talk?”. Ask This instead…

  Aug 3, 202651 minS1

  Episode 81 of the Unspoken Words podcast features Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna Blum returning to the foundation of it all — what S-CAT, or Social Communication Anxiety Treatment, really is, and just as importantly, what it's not. Prompted by families who reached out to the SMart Center still confused about the approach, Dr. E and Dr. Jenna make the case that the question so many parents ask — "How do I get my child to talk?" — is the wrong one. The better question is why is my child not communicating in this situation, because not speaking is only a symptom of something deeper. At the heart of the episode is a simple truth: this is a whole-person approach, not a Band-Aid for a single behavior. Using Dr. Jenna's "cake" analogy, they explain that every child is made of different ingredients — and that missing even one can mean missing a pivotal piece of the picture. That's why selective mutism is best understood not by its stigmatizing name, but as a social communication anxiety disorder with underlying "whys," and why the SM Evaluation is the essential first step in ruling those whys in or out. Dr. E and Dr. Jenna explain why S-CAT is a recipe of evidence-based approaches rather than any single therapy — blending CBT, behavioral exposures, motivational interviewing, insight-oriented work, and intensive parent management. They walk through the baseline stages of the Social Communication Bridge®, the feelings chart and the "sweet spot" that keeps kids growing without tipping into avoidance, and the parent's role as the driver of real progress. Along the way, real stories bring it to life — from a teen learning to get his own tickets at a Phillies game to a nine-year-old who needed structure long after her mutism resolved. The episode closes on a powerful reminder: the longer selective mutism lingers, the more likely it is that a "why" has been missed — and that with the right understanding, no one has to remain selectively mute. -- Chapters: (03:20) Why "How Do I Get My Child to Talk?" Is the Wrong Question—And What to Ask Instead (10:33) The Bridge, the Baseline, and Why SCAT Is a Recipe—Not a Single Strategy (14:37) Honoring a Child's Feelings and the Parent's Role in Driving Real Progress (26:26) Motivation, the Hidden "Whys," and Why Courage Isn't Always Loud (34:16) The Whole Person Behind the Symptom—And Carrying the Gains Beyond SM - ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/ Ask Dr. E a question of your own! Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our SMart Center success stories ! Get started at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes here . For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on Instagram & YouTube Learn more about CommuniCamp , our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program Learn more about our 6-week, virtual social skills series , which are skills-based groups designed to help children, teens, & young adults build social communication, comfort, and connection with similar aged-peers in a supportive setting. - For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠ This podcast was produced and published by New Edition Productions (neweditionconsulting.com)

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  Episode #80

  EP80: Live Chat w/ Parents @ June CommuniCamp

  Jul 27, 202645 minS1

  Episode 80 of the Unspoken Words podcast takes listeners inside CommuniCamp for a candid roundtable between Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and three parents raising children with selective mutism. Their stories span a special education teacher whose son has moved past SM, a child psychiatrist who grew up with SM herself, and a parent just one year into her 12-year-old daughter's diagnosis. Together they explore what real progress looks like when you stop chasing speech and start meeting a child exactly where they are. The episode moves from crisis to hope, including the "dozen roses" metaphor that reframes recovery as blooming on a child's own timeline. Dr. E shifts the goal from "cure" to reaching capacity, unpacking the hidden "whys" behind a child's silence, whether anxiety, sensory sensitivity, ADHD, or learning differences, and why understanding them matters more than pushing a child to talk before they're ready. The heart of the episode is practical application: crossing the Social Communication Bridge®, identifying a child's true baseline, and starting where they're comfortable. One parent illustrates this with a three-year journey from handing back a toy to ordering ice cream independently. The group digs into real strategies, from interest-based "big shot" roles that build confidence, to preparing for a middle-school transition, to "low and slow" guidance on medication and knowing when a child is ready to wean. Throughout, they return to the pillars of comfort, connection, and confidence, and the power of programs like CommuniCamp. The episode closes on a powerful reminder: courage isn't always loud, the mutism is only a symptom, and every child can reach their potential when we honor where they are on the bridge and walk it with them. -- Chapters: (01:40) Three Families, One Journey—And the Dozen Roses That Bloom in Their Own Time (10:12) Reaching Capacity, Not a Cure—The Hidden "Whys" and Why "SM" Is the Wrong Name (18:11) Crossing the Bridge, One Chick-fil-A Cone at a Time—Meeting Kids Exactly Where They Are (26:51) Finding Their People—Jugglers, Rock Climbers, and the Motivation to Change (34:49) The Four Pillars, Weaning Low and Slow, and Why Courage Isn't Always Loud ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/ Ask Dr. E a question of your own! Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our SMart Center success stories ! Get started at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes here . For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on Instagram & YouTube Learn more about CommuniCamp , our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program Earn 6.5 CE credits with our self-paced online course , exploring Selective Mutism assessments and interventions in the school setting .

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  Episode #79

  EP79: How to Choose the Right Treatment Program for Your Child w/ Dr. Jenna Blum

  Jun 29, 202649 minS1

  Episode 79 of the Unspoken Words podcast features Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum and Dr. Jenna Blum exploring the power of intensive group treatment for Selective Mutism — and why it works as a springboard that propels children and teens further, whether they're just starting treatment, midway through, or looking for one final push. Drawing on nearly ten years of CommuniCamp, the SMart Center's intensive group treatment and parent education program, they explain why these few days can do what weekly therapy alone often cannot: create frequent communication opportunities, real-world exposures, and a sense of community that builds confidence one step at a time. The episode emphasizes that parents are the most instrumental part of progress — that 15-plus hours of parent education help families understand the whys behind their child's mutism, learn how to talk to their child, and carry skills home long after camp ends. Dr. E and Dr. Jenna explore the social identity shift that happens when a child realizes they're not alone, why comfort, connection, and confidence must precede communication, and why meeting a child where they are on the Social Communication Bridge® is never a regression but the true starting point for growth. Through real-world examples — restaurant and store exposures, the buddy process, and teens who form lasting friendships across states and countries — they show how progress looks different for every child. The heart of the episode turns to what a group setting uniquely reveals: hidden whys like ADHD, autism, and processing challenges that one-on-one therapy can miss, and how those insights translate into IEP and 504 supports at school. The episode closes with practical guidance on choosing any intensive program, and a reminder that courage is not always loud. -- Chapters: (03:26) Why Group Treatment Is a Springboard—And How Parents Drive the Progress (14:20) Meeting Kids Where They Are on the Bridge Without Rushing Them (16:50) The Social Identity Shift: Why Realizing "I'm Not Alone" Changes Everything (22:02) Real-World Exposures and the C's That Make Communication Possible (32:33) What a Group Reveals About the Hidden "Whys"—And Carrying Gains Into School - ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : https://selectivemutismcenter.org/resources/ Ask Dr. E a question of your own! Learn more about the host, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum Explore our SMart Center success stories ! Get started at the SMart Center Listen to other Unspoken Words episodes here . For the best clips from every episode, follow the podcast on Instagram & YouTube Learn more about CommuniCamp , our 3+ day intensive group treatment and ALL DAY parent training & support program Learn more about our 6-week, virtual social skills series , which are skills-based groups designed to help children, teens, & young adults build social communication, comfort, and connection with similar aged-peers in a supportive setting. - For all podcast inquiries, please contact Dakota Hornak at ⁠dhornak@selectivemutismcenter.org⁠ This podcast was produced and published by New Edition Productions (neweditionconsulting.com)

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