SMA Webinar – Selective Mutism: Tips for Handling the Holidays
December 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Free – Live Webinar with Q & A!
Speaker: Becca Laptook, PhD & Rachel Merson, PsyD
This webinar is for families, parents & treating professionals. Everyone is welcome!
To register, click below:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fkFc5cvpTsyjSH0GHctP7g
While the holiday season is often full of energy and excitement, for many families it can also be a time of increased stress, particularly for caregivers supporting a child with selective mutism. The many social obligations along with expectations for interacting with unfamiliar friends and family members and changes in routine can be overwhelming and anxiety provoking. In this webinar, Dr. Becca Laptook and Dr. Rachel Merson will share strategies for parents and caregivers for managing the highs and lows of the holidays and for simultaneously helping their children practice being brave while still enjoying the special moments of the season. The webinar will include tips for talking to friends and relatives about SM, setting realistic expectations and achievable goals, and preparing children for success.
Speakers:
Becca Laptook, PhD is a licensed clinical child psychologist who specializes in the treatment of childhood anxiety. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of NY at Stony Brook and completed her clinical internship at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical School and subsequent child postdoctoral fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Dr. Laptook is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior as well as the Department of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She works at Rhode Island Hospital where she is a psychologist at the Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program, a day-treatment program for kids ages 6-18 coping with both psychiatric and medical illnesses. Dr. Laptook specializes in working with children and families and has a particular interest and expertise in early childhood, childhood anxiety, Selective Mutism, child temperament, parent-child interactions, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
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
