Brave Buddies® Program

Children diagnosed with selective mutism (SM) between the ages 3-12 years old are invited to join the Brave Buddies® program. Multi-day programs are open to current, former and new patients who have been determined to be eligible by the clinical team at the Child Mind Institute.

Your child does not need to be a current or prior patient at the Child Mind Institute to participate in the Brave Buddies® weeklong program. For new families, a screening appointment by video call with a member of our clinical staff will help determine if Brave Buddies® is appropriate for your child.

Yes, we absolutely do! However, the Brave Buddies® program is for children up to age 12. Please call us at 212.392.1435 to discuss the treatments we offer, which include traditional individual treatment, intensive treatments, and school consultation. Our clinicians will develop a tailored treatment plan to address your child’s individual needs.

Yes, qualifying families may be eligible for financial aid. Please request a separate Child Mind Institute Financial Aid Application when you speak to our team about Brave Buddies®. We will review your completed application and then establish your fee based on demonstrated financial need. Awards are made on a first-applied, first-served basis. For those families who qualify for financial aid and are traveling from out of town, the Child Mind Institute Cares Fund may offer a daily stipend for travel expenses.

The Child Mind Institute does not participate as an in-network provider for any specific health insurance plan. Most insurance companies will cover a portion of the fees under “out-of-network, outpatient mental health benefits.” We will provide you with a detailed statement of services provided for you to submit your claim directly to your insurance carrier. We suggest consulting your insurance carrier in advance for the specific benefits of your plan.

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 trained adults at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio.

Brave Buddies® follows the format of a typical school day, allowing children many opportunities to practice real-life challenges, including morning meeting, peer to peer activities, show-and-tell or group presentations, community exposures and much more. Children earn “brave bucks” for their talking and hard work, which they can turn in for prizes at the end of the day. We build on the previous day’s wins to continue your child’s progress during the week. For older children (8-12), we incorporate age-appropriate activities, such as education about the nature of anxiety, goal setting, and mindfulness.

Lead-in sessions are an opportunity for your child to practice his or her brave talking before participating in the Brave Buddies® group program. These sessions also allow your child to meet other Brave Buddies® participants and counselors before the program begins. Additionally, these sessions allow the Brave Buddies® leaders to better determine initial counselor matches for your child.

We require a 50% deposit to secure your child’s spot in either program. If a participant cannot attend the multi-day program, and a Brave Buddies® coordinator is notified within 30 days prior to the start of the program, a refund will be issued, minus a $300 non-refundable deposit for administrative fees. If less than 30 days notification is given, no refund will be provided. For the one-day programs, we require notification 14 days prior to the start date for a refund, excluding a $60 non-refundable deposit for administrative fees.