An Intervention in Treating Selective Mutism Using the Expressive Therapies Continuum Framework

• Main Authors: Fernandez, Karina Therese G, Serrano, Krista Camille M, Tongson, Monica Camille C
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2014
• Subjects: children; creativity in counseling; expressive arts; expressive therapies continuum; selective mutism; Child Psychology; Medicine and Health Sciences; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychology; Rehabilitation and Therapy; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/bulatao-pubs/2; https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2013.873706
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Selective mutism is characterized by a child’s inability to speak in certain situations while they manifest adequate speaking in other settings or with particular people. It is considered a type of anxiety disorder where the child dreads situations where there is an expectation to speak for fear of being negatively evaluated. This article discusses how the expressive therapies continuum (Hinz, 2009a) was used as framework for the first stages of the intervention process on a case of a 10-year-old boy with selective mutism. The hierarchy of creative expression outlined by the theory helped in understanding the client’s level of functioning. It also served as a good explanatory model for the creative transitions that the client went through in the first stage of therapy.