Growing
Voices
An Intensive Selective Mutism Treatment Program
Helping children build confidence, find their voice, and communicate in the places that matter most.
What Is Growing Voices?
Growing Voices is a specialized, multi-day intensive treatment program for children ages 3–7 with selective mutism. Designed to simulate a typical school environment, the program provides children with frequent, supported opportunities to practice speaking with teachers, peers, and unfamiliar adults through structured classroom activities, play, and everyday interactions.
Led by clinicians trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM), Growing Voices uses evidence-based strategies to help children build communication skills and expand their ability to speak across people, places, and activities. Unlike traditional weekly therapy, our intensive format provides concentrated opportunities for speaking practice over several consecutive days. Children receive individualized support as they work toward meaningful communication goals, while participating in activities that make the experience fun, engaging, and rewarding.
Who Is Growing Voices For?
Growing Voices is designed for children ages 3–7 who experience difficulty speaking in certain settings or with certain people, despite communicating comfortably in other situations.
The program may be especially beneficial for children who:
Speak comfortably at home but have difficulty speaking at school
Struggle to communicate with teachers, classmates, or unfamiliar adults
Have difficulty participating verbally in classroom activities or group settings
Would benefit from intensive, individualized opportunities to practice speaking
Need support expanding their communication skills to new people, places, and situations
Our team works closely with each family to determine whether Growing Voices is an appropriate fit and to identify individualized treatment goals.
What Makes Growing Voices Different?
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A School-Like Environment
Growing Voices is intentionally structured to mirror the routines, activities, and social interactions of a typical school day. From morning meetings and classroom discussions to group projects, transitions, and peer interactions, children practice speaking in situations similar to those they encounter at school. By recreating these everyday experiences in a supportive treatment environment, we help children build the skills and confidence needed to participate more fully in their classrooms and communities.
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Individualized 1:1 Support
Each child is paired with a dedicated counselor who provides individualized support throughout the program. Speaking goals are tailored to each child’s current abilities, allowing counselors to gradually introduce new communication challenges while building on existing successes. This individualized approach allows children with different communication abilities to participate meaningfully in the same group environment.
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Frequent Opportunities for Speaking Practice
Rather than relying on a single weekly therapy session, Growing Voices creates repeated opportunities to practice speaking throughout each day. Children participate in structured activities, small-group interactions, presentations, and community-based experiences that encourage communication with both adults and peers. These opportunities are carefully planned to help children build momentum and expand their speaking skills.
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Parent Training for Lasting Progress
Our work doesn’t end when the camp day is over. Parents receive specialized training in PCIT-SM strategies so they can continue supporting their child’s communication skills at home, at school, and in the community. Through group training, individualized coaching, and post-program recommendations, families leave with practical tools and a plan for continued progress.
What Does a Day at Growing Voices Look Like?
Although Growing Voices is a specialized treatment program, we believe learning to use your voice should also be fun! Our daily schedule resembles a typical school day, with communication goals thoughtfully incorporated into familiar classroom routines and activities.
Children participate in experiences such as:
Morning Meetings: Practicing greetings, answering questions, and sharing with the group
Classroom Activities: Building communication skills through arts and crafts, games, and collaborative projects
Peer Interactions: Practicing conversations, asking questions, and participating in activities with classmates
Show and Tell: Developing confidence speaking in front of others
Community Experiences: Practicing communication skills in real-world settings, such as local stores or neighborhood activities
Throughout the day, clinicians provide individualized support to help children practice increasingly challenging communication skills while experiencing success in a positive, encouraging environment.
A Comprehensive Approach:
Before, During, and After Camp
Growing Voices is more than a multi-day intensive treatment experience. Our program includes preparation, individualized support, parent training, and follow-up planning to help children make meaningful progress.
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Before Camp: Preparing for Success
Children participate in individualized lead-in sessions to establish verbal communication with their counselors before the program begins. A pre-camp group meeting also provides an opportunity to become familiar with peers and begin practicing communication in a group setting.
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During Camp: Building Communication Skills
Children participate in consecutive days of intensive, individualized speaking practice within a structured, school-like environment. Clinicians support children in expanding their communication across activities, adults, and peers.
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Parent Training: Learning to Support Your Child
Parents participate in specialized training and live coaching to learn how to create speaking opportunities, support their children through challenging situations, and reinforce progress in everyday life.
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After Camp: Continuing the Progress
Families receive individualized feedback and recommendations to help transfer skills from the intensive program to school, home, and community settings.
Meet Our Program Director
Carly Mayer, PsyD
Program Director, Growing Voices
Dr. Carly Mayer is a clinical psychologist specializing in selective mutism and an experienced PCIT-SM therapist and trainer. She previously worked alongside Dr. Steven Kurtz, leading multiple Mighty Mouth intensive treatment programs. Dr. Carly is passionate about intensive SM treatment because of the meaningful progress children and families can make in a short period of time, and because the work itself is so much fun!
Upcoming Growing Voices Sessions
Winter 2027 Session
Dates: February 15–18, 2027
Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Ages: 3–7 years
Location: Growing Minds Psychology, 414 East 75th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10021
Pre-program preparation sessions, parent training, and individualized follow-up are incorporated into the program.
Future session dates and details will be announced as they become available.
Help Your Child Find Their Voice
At Growing Voices, our goal is to help children build the communication skills and confidence they need to participate more fully in school and everyday life.
Whether your child is beginning to speak with unfamiliar adults or working toward participating in classroom discussions and peer conversations, our team is here to help them take meaningful steps forward.
Questions about
Growing Voices
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Children do not need to be speaking at school or with unfamiliar adults to participate. Before camp begins, each child participates in individualized lead-in sessions designed to help them establish verbal communication with a counselor. This preparation provides a foundation for successful speaking practice during the program.
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No! Growing Voices welcomes children with varying levels of treatment experience. All new families complete an initial evaluation to help our team understand their child’s communication abilities, identify treatment goals, and determine whether the program is an appropriate fit. If a child would benefit from more intensive, individualized support before participating in camp, our clinicians will recommend that approach.
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Growing Voices provides intensive speaking practice in a structured, school-like group environment. Children receive individualized 1:1 counselor support while practicing communication across a variety of social situations, including classroom activities, group discussions, and peer interactions. This format creates frequent opportunities to practice speaking in settings that resemble everyday school experiences, which can be difficult to replicate in individual treatment.
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Children participate in individualized lead-in sessions to establish verbal communication with camp counselors. Campers also attend a pre-camp group meeting to become familiar with their peers and practice communicating in a group setting. These preparation sessions help children enter the intensive ready to build on their existing skills.
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Growing Voices is overseen by psychologists who specialize in selective mutism and are onsite throughout the program. Our clinicians closely monitor each child’s progress and work with trained counselors to adjust communication goals, provide additional support, or return to previously successful steps when needed. This individualized clinical oversight helps children work through manageable challenges while continuing to experience success.
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Yes! Parent involvement is an essential component of Growing Voices, but parents do not attend the entire camp day. Instead, parents participate in designated PCIT-SM training sessions and individualized live coaching sessions. These experiences provide families with practical strategies to support their child’s communication skills and continue building on their progress after camp.
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Our goal is to help children develop communication skills they can use in their everyday lives. By recreating familiar classroom routines and providing opportunities to speak with adults and peers, Growing Voices helps children practice skills relevant to school. However, progress does not always transfer automatically. Families receive individualized recommendations to support continued practice and generalization after camp.
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Growing Minds Psychology is an out-of-network provider and does not accept insurance directly. However, we provide families with superbills containing the information needed to submit claims to their insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage and reimbursement vary by insurance plan, so we encourage families to contact their insurance provider to learn more about their benefits.
Interested in Growing Voices?
Contact us to schedule a complimentary informational call and learn whether our intensive program may be a good fit for your child.
Email: sm@growingmindsnyc.com
Phone: (646) 494-3791