SMA Live Webinar- Safety & Self-Advocacy for Kids with Selective Mutism
November 10, 2026 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm America/New York
Live Webinar with Q & A! Free!
Speakers : Brittany Bice-Urbach, PhD, Rachel A. Merson, PsyD, Veronica Raggi, PhD
While this webinar is primarily geared toward parents and caregivers, treating professionals will also find value. All are welcome!
For more information and to register, click here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PvP8u9mhT7iALSnx5vZdDg
Description:
Children with selective mutism may have difficulty communicating important needs, discomfort, or safety concerns, particularly in situations where anxiety is high. This webinar will explore practical ways parents, caregivers, and other supportive adults can help create systems that keep children safe while also building self-advocacy skills over time. Attendees will learn strategies for identifying trusted adults, developing individualized safety and communication plans, and ensuring children have reliable ways to ask for help, communicate discomfort, set boundaries, or report concerns, even when speaking is not possible. We will discuss the use of verbal and nonverbal communication options, preparation and practice for common school and community situations, and the important roles parents, teachers, and other adults play in anticipating needs and creating appropriate supports. Participants will leave with practical tools for home, school, and community settings that promote both safety and increasing independence, to help children feel more empowered and prepared to handle challenging situations.
Speakers:
Brittany Bice-Urbach, PhD
Dr. Bice-Urbach is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and has been working as a clinical psychologist at the Child Development Center, a developmental clinic through Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, in the School Performance Program. She completed her graduate training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School Psychology Program, her internship at Illinois State University’s Psychological Services Center, and her Post-Doctoral fellowship at Connections Day School, a therapeutic day school in Illinois. Dr. Bice-Urbach has a specialty in best practices in providing telebehavioral health services. She was involved with a team of providers in developing training materials for the recent and rapid transition to telebehavioral health at Children’s Wisconsin in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has contributed a book chapter regarding practical considerations in providing teleconsultation services. Dr. Bice-Urbach also has a clinical specialty in treating children and adolescents with anxiety disorders through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a primary focus on treating children with Selective Mutism. At the Child Development Center, she has been offering assessment, individual therapy, and family/school consultation and training to support children with Selective Mutism. She has participated in the Selective Mutism Training Institute and given several national presentations at the National Association for School Psychologists Annual Convention on the topic of addressing symptoms of Selective Mutism in a school setting. She also has prioritized trainings for medical facilities and pediatricians on detecting symptoms of Selective Mutism and supporting children and their families through the journey in finding appropriate resources.
Rachel A. Merson, PsyD
Rachel Merson, Psy.D. is the Clinical Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at the Boston University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (Child CARD). Dr. Merson has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatment to children and adolescents with a range of anxiety disorders and co-occurring emotional and behavioral concerns. As Director of Child CARD’s Selective Mutism Program, she oversees Brave Bunch, Child CARD’s intensive group treatment program for young children with SM. In addition, Dr. Merson is actively involved in providing supervision and training to Child CARD graduate students and trainees. She frequently conducts workshops with schools and community agencies on selective mutism and other topics related to child anxiety.
Dr. Merson completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia where she majored in Psychology and graduated with High Distinction. She went on to earn her Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. Dr. Merson completed a one-year, APA-approved internship at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, Massachusetts.
Child CARD
https://sites.bu.edu/childcardresearch
Veronica Raggi, PhD
Dr. Raggi is a licensed psychologist and owner of Brighter Outlook Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, LLC in the Washington DC metro area. Dr. Raggi has over fifteen years of experience providing evidence-based treatment for children with selective mutism and co-occurring anxiety disorders. She developed and co-directs the Kids Out Loud (KOL) summer intensive camp program in the Washington, DC Metro area. She has developed, directed and facilitated pilot studies on intensive summer camps for the past eight years in collaboration with University of Maryland, College Park, Alvord Baker & Associates, LLC and Catholic University. Dr. Raggi also supports the SMA community through facilitating peer consultation groups. She frequently trains and consults with schools in the treatment of anxiety and SM. Dr. Raggi has a passion for bringing increased attention and awareness to the issues of youth anxiety and evidence-based treatment approaches. She writes a blog called Brave Voices for Psychology Today. She has been a speaker for podcasts, interviewed by the Washington Post and other media, and has published in numerous academic journals on evidence-based approaches to child mental health treatment. Dr. Raggi is also the first author of Exposure Therapy for Treating Anxiety in Children and Adolescents, a comprehensive, practical resource on the “how-to” of implementing exposure-based therapy for youth with anxiety. Dr. Raggi received intensive training in the PCIT-SM approach through postdoctoral training with Dr. Steven Kurtz at the NYU Child Study Center. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and completed a predoctoral internship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
This webinar is brought to you by the Selective Mutism Association and was made possible by a generous grant from the Gordon and Marilyn Macklin Foundation, Inc.
