Selective Mutism

[monnie]

Hi all

I'm a Speech Pathologist who works in the field of child and adolescent mental health

I can't talk from the perspective of a parent with a child with difficulties, but I can talk from a professionals perspective.

There are so many professionals out there...but what is really important is finding a specialist in the field. There's lots of professionals who are generalists (which is great for lots of areas of difficulties) but for very specific disorders (e.g. SM, Autism, dyspraxia, etc.), you need to find someone with experience and specialist knowledge.

Don't be afraid to ask the therapist about their experience with your child's specific difficulties. Ask them what their understanding of the disorder is. Ask them whether they liase with other professionals/schools.

Arm yourself with information. Information about the disorder, treatment options, etc. and don't be scared to ask questions of the therapist.

Don't overlook government services. Some of them have some of the most experienced professionals in the field.

If you are going private and are not sure who to choose, contact the national association for that field (e.g. Speech Pathology Australia, Occupational Therapy Australia, Australian Psychological Association). Alot of them have websites or at least links to private therapy websites.

The other thing to do in finding the right private therapist, is to contact your 'premier' government service in your state (e.g. in WA that would probably be the State Child Development Centre). Ask to speak to the senior therapist in the profession you need and then ask them who they might recommend as a private therapist. It's at least worth a try!

Another thing to think about is joining a parent advocacy/support group. Ask around about what there is. Often this is a place of great support and information...and word of mouth recommendations.

One last thing...one of the most important things about therapy is the relationship between the therapist and your child. Monitor how it's going. If after 5 or so sessions, you are really feeling that it's not working, don't be afraid to talk about this...or even consider looking for another therapist...obviously you want to talk about this with the therapist...but once you're with someone, it doesn't mean you have to stay with them.

Anyway...I hope that helps!

All the best...