Kristin Rae Mathis, M.S., CCC-SLP

Child and Family Therapy Collective

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and a master's degree at Miami University, Kristin began her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Nashville in 1998. For the past 27 years, Kristin has been providing therapy to children in private practice settings, schools, and pediatric rehabilitation settings.

In 2013, Kristin was introduced to the world of Selective Mutism through a four-year-old little boy. Kristin recognized that with a tailored therapy approach, students with SM did not have to live a life of fear of communicating, and they could transition from the avoidance cycle of speaking into a brave cycle of being confident verbal communicators. Kristin has since specialized in the treatment of SM for the last decade.

Kristin's experience treating social pragmatic communication disorder enhanced her treatment approach to selective mutism therefore optimizing SM treatment outcomes. Before the emphasis of her career being on treating SM, the primary focus had been on understanding and treating the social (pragmatic) communication disorders of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and sensory processing disorder. In addition to treating SPCD through individual speech-language therapy sessions, Kristin is an expert in facilitating students' social (pragmatic) language skills through individual and group therapy.

Throughout Kristin’s career, she has aligned herself with other professionals in the community to allow collaboration in meeting my students' therapeutic needs. Whether it is co-treating with an occupational therapist, collaborating with psychologists and psychiatrists, or connecting with counselors, Kristin believes a team approach is a great benefit in understanding and meeting the therapeutic needs of her students and their families. To expand this emphasis on collaboration and community, Kristin joined Eleanor Ezell, LCSW, at Child and Family Therapy Collective in January 2025. Eleanor and Kristin are expanding the Selective Mutism services across the southeast and providing a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting the communication, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children with SM and social anxiety. This collaborative team approach allows them to implement cross-disciplinary therapy models that have proven effective treatment methods for SM.

Kristin has been serving as Tennessee's Selective Mutism Association State Coordinator. As an SMA State Coordinator, she desires to increase the awareness of SM within Tennessee's medical and educational systems and assist families in meeting their child's therapeutic needs. Combined with Eleanor serving on the SMA Board, Kristin and Eleanor strive to increase public awareness of SM and increase treatment availability in Nashville. Their ultimate goal is to improve therapeutic outcomes for children with SM throughout the southeast.

In addition to providing speech-language therapy, Kristin has vast experience in serving as a presenter and trainer to various organizations. She has worked with various educational institutes to train their educational teams on understanding children's language and social behaviors, training teams on facilitating students' social skills in the classroom, and assisting other professionals in understanding SM and the therapy strategies that are successful in helping students in overcoming SM. Kristin has served as a presenter at the Annette Eskind Institute of Learning at Currey Ingram Academy in Franklin, TN several times. She was recently honored to be the featured speaker at the 2024 Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIA) Neurodiversity Conference in Franklin, TN. In October 2024, connected with various members of the Selective Mutism Association at the annual SMA Conference and presented a seminar on Meeting the Social (Pragmatic) Communication Needs of Students with Selective Mutism. She also served as a regional trainer of the TRIAD Teacher Training/DOE Regional Autism Training Project in 2000. Krisitn holds a certification in PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and Interactive Metronome treatment. Over the past 10 years, Kristin has focused on expanding her understanding of how anxiety affects children's communication and social abilities. To expand her knowledge and strengthen her expertise in meeting the therapeutic needs of children and adolescents,, she has obtained numerous certifications in treating anxiety in children and adolescents. After observing the challenges of students returning to "normal" school following the COVID-19 epidemic, she completed the School Refusal Training Institute for Providers through the Rockville Therapy Center to address students' school refusal behaviors.

Kristin considers it a blessing to “walk the journey” with families who trust her to meet the therapeutic needs of their children. She strives to guide, encourage, and support parents through the time they allow her to share in their child’s life. She holds state professional licenses in Tennessee and Kentucky and provides in-person therapy in Nashville, TN at the Child and Family Therapy Collective. In addition, virtual sessions are offered in TN and KY.