mighty mouth kids camp

Children diagnosed with selective mutism (SM) between the ages of 3- to 10-years old are invited to join our MMK Camp. Multi-day camp programs are open to current, former, and new patients who have been determined to be eligible by the clinical team at Square One Psychology.

New families are are encouraged to complete the “I’m Interested!” Form. A member of our team will then reach out to schedule you for a free, 30-minute call with our Camp Director who will help determine if MMK is appropriate for your child.

Square One Psychology does not participate as an in-network provider for any specific health insurance plans. However, we are able to provide a detailed statement of services for families to then submit directly to their insurance provider. We strongly recommend that families who hope to submit such reimbursement claims consult with their insurance provider, in advance, for the specific out-of-network (OON) benefits of their plan.

Our Camp Director, Dr. Zohra Chahal, is a certified PCIT-SM Therapist and has co-led many therapist trainings with Dr. Steven Kurtz. As such, our staff consists of specially trained clinicians, such as psychologists and social workers. We also intensively train volunteers in our evidence-based approaches so they can help support the program as counselors.

Children are paired with counselors at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio. In this way, each camper receives coaching and support to help them meet their unique goals.

Lead-in sessions are required for each Camper as they improve the likelihood of a child’s success in the Mighty Mouth Kids Camp program. These crucial sessions are conducted prior to the first day of camp.

The goals of the individual lead-in sessions are to help your child establish initial rapport, comfort, and verbal communication with the Camp Director and at least 1 Counselor. Dr. Chahal will determine with you, in advance, how much lead-in time we recommend based on your child’s SM severity and prior experience with treatment. For families traveling to us from out-of-state, these lead-in sessions are typically scheduled during our lead-ins week.

The goals of the group lead-in sessions are to help prepare your child to participate as fully as possible during the camp week, when all Campers will be together.

Our camp is carefully designed to provide children with a range of age- and developmentally-appropriate exposure opportunities. Our program replicates a school setting, by featuring an analog classroom, and provides seamless opportunities for both peer-to-peer exposures and brave talking exposures in the community.

Over the span of the multi-day camp, each Camper receives individualized coaching and support to generalize their brave talking successes across more people, places, and activities.

A typical day begins with free play and warm-up time before moving on to a morning huddle. Morning and afternoon activities may include:

• small- or large-group games or art activities,

• cooperative and group play during recess,

• individual presentations,

• engaging with special guests such as a dentist, school nurse, or animal experts,

• field trips to a local ice cream shop, toy store, or zoo, and

• practice celebrations (e.g., birthday party).

New families are encouraged to first complete this “I’m Interested!” Form. A member of our team will then reach out to schedule you for a free, 30-minute call with our Camp Director who will help determine if MMK is appropriate for your child. If so, you will then be scheduled for an initial evaluation. After completing the evaluation, our Camp Director will meet with you to review our treatment recommendations. If the MMK Camp is indeed a good fit, the initial evaluation fee will go towards the full cost of camp.

Families that are currently in treatment with us would simply reach out to our Administrative Coordinator and proceed with submitting a deposit to secure their child’s enrollment.

Half of the camp fee is required as a registration fee to secure your child’s enrollment in our camp. The remainder camp fee is due the Friday before lead-ins week.

Full payment is required 1-business day prior to the start of lead-ins week, unless a written and signed payment plan is in effect. If you withdraw from the camp program for any reason, including illness or COVID-related concerns, 30 days or less prior to the start of the lead-ins week, we will refund all but $1,000. There are no refunds or credits for any withdrawals after the start of lead-ins week.

If you still have questions regarding any aspect of the Mighty Mouth Kids Camp, we encourage you to reach out to our Administrative Coordinator. You may contact her by email at clare@squareonenyc.com.