Creating Safety Before Speech: A Nervous System Approach to Selective Mutism

28 April 2026 3pm

Event type Talk with Q&A

EARLY BIRD FROM JUST £5!
Live stream via Zoom at 15:00 - 17:00 UK time.
Can't make it, don't worry, book now as delegates have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. You must book before the event starts, there are no tickets after the event starts.

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Beautiful curly toddler looking forward and holding his hand on his mouth, boy trying not to speak, shut up

Tags: Anxiety disorders, Diagnosis… Show all

Topics: Anxiety disorders, Diagnosis, Differential diagnosis, Evidence-based, Intervention, Mental health, Selective mutism, Treatment
Interventions: Psychotherapies
Publication Types: Events, In practice, Primer
Symptoms: anxiety, anxiety about speaking, avoidance, failing to speak

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‘Creating Safety Before Speech: A Nervous System Approach to Selective Mutism’ is being run with a practical focus which is research-based, it shall be an online webinar, for those who have an awareness of selective mutism but may like further information on the effects of the condition. Rather than focusing on verbal output, the webinar explores communication through a brain-body and nervous system framework, understanding why children freeze, mask, or shut down even when language and cognitive skills are present.

Booking

Sign up at this link or on the Book Now button at the top of the screen, and complete the form that follows. You’ll then receive an email confirmation and a link to the webinar, plus we’ll send you a calendar reminder nearer the time. Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. Plus you will get a personalised CPD/CME certificate via email.

ACAMH Members MUST login to book onto the webinar in order to access this webinar and get a CPD/CME certificate

Non-members this is a great time to join ACAMH, take a look at what we have to offer, and make the saving on these sessions

EARLY BIRD £5 (until 23/03/26, then £10) for ACAMH Members (Print, Online, Concession) Join now and save

EARLY BIRD £10 (until 23/03/26, then £20) ACAMH Learn Account holders

EARLY BIRD £10 (until 23/03/26, then £20) Non Members

£5 ACAMH Undergraduate/Postgraduate Members

FREE LMIC Members

About the session

The session draws connections between early development, emotional regulation, movement, retained primitive reflexes, and the nervous system, showing how these systems interact and influence a child’s ability to engage, relate, and communicate. Particular attention is given to how safety, predictability, and reduced pressure support regulation and communication across home and school environments.

It will provide a clear framework for understanding anxiety-based communication differences, practical ways to reduce unintentional pressure, and a more compassionate, relationship-led lens they can apply in clinical, educational, and family settings.

Who should attend

This session is designed for professionals who want a deeper, more integrated understanding of selective mutism, communication shutdown, and anxiety beyond a speech-only perspective. Professionals include, but are not limited to:

Practitioner psychologists ( educational, clinical and counselling);
Speech and language therapists;
Counsellors and therapists;
Occupational therapists; and
CAMHS practitioners etc.

About the speaker

Anna Biavati

I am a multilingual Speech and Language Therapist specialising in selective mutism, anxiety, and communication. My work is grounded in a brain-body framework, integrating nervous system regulation, emotional development, movement, and early developmental patterns. Over time, my clinical approach has evolved from a traditional speech-led model into a family dynamic approach, recognising that communication does not develop in isolation but within relationships, expectations, and environments. I work closely with families and schools to support both the child and the adults around them, with a strong focus on creating emotionally safe, low-pressure environments where communication can emerge naturally. My therapeutic work is informed by acceptance-based principles, nervous system regulation, and relationship-led intervention, rather than compliance driven or performance-based models.