Selective Mutism Foundation

What Selective Mutism Foundation does

The Selective Mutism Foundation (SMF) is a registered nonprofit organization founded in 2023 by Dr. Poling Bork and headquartered in Ontario, Canada. SMF's mission is to advance education, awareness, and treatment for Selective Mutism (SM), an anxiety disorder in which individuals can speak but are unable to in specific social settings. The foundation serves four customer segments: parents of children with SM, schools and educators, healthcare professionals and therapists, and individuals with SM themselves. Its offerings are anchored by the proprietary VSR (Video Self-modeling, Stimulus Fading, and Reinforcement) technique, which the foundation claims can treat SM in under 130 minutes of a child's time across 8 sessions — materially faster than conventional therapy paradigms.

The foundation's product and technology stack centers on VSR plus a set of digital tools, most notably the world's first self-serve virtual reality (VR) software for SM, co-developed with Brock University beginning in 2023. The VR software places users in simulated social scenarios (classroom, doctor's office, restaurant) with AI-driven virtual characters that ask questions and respond, enabling desensitization practice at the user's own pace. Complementary offerings include speech-recognition-based interactive video games (e.g., inflating virtual balloons via microphone input), the published VOCAL book translated into 10 languages and sold via Amazon, Parent Group Coaching sessions moderated by Dr. Bork, and a coach-matching service that connects families with parent coaches who have personal or familial SM experience. Free downloadable guides target caregivers, professionals, and educators. Annual conferences — including the upcoming September 2025 SMF Annual Conference at Brock University with Dr. Katharina Manassis as keynote — serve as research showcases and community convening events.

SMF's revenue mechanics reflect its nonprofit structure and are diversified across small-ticket streams: donations (minimum CAD$15 per household per group coaching session), professional workshop fees, Amazon book royalties on VOCAL, Eventbrite conference ticket sales, and CAD$50 per day conference childcare fees. Distribution is primarily virtual (video conferencing, Google Forms intake) supplemented by regional in-person engagements in Ontario, Canada. The foundation explicitly notes it is a nonprofit rather than a charity, which disqualifies it from many funding opportunities and makes donations a critical operational input. Geographic reach is claimed globally, with active coach and testimonial presence across Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and South Africa, although primary operations, research partnerships, and the annual conference remain anchored in the Niagara, Ontario region.

Name

Selective Mutism Foundation

Legal name

Selective Mutism Foundation

Website

https://mutism.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Selective Mutism Foundation is a Canadian nonprofit that develops and disseminates the VSR treatment method, VR software, and the VOCAL book to help parents, schools, and clinicians treat Selective Mutism in children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Treatment Services

NAICS

Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education & Learning Differences Learning Centers (Dyslexia/ADHD/IEP Support) (EDANAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Special Education & Related Services (IEP Delivery Online) (EDAJADAG), Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ)

Keywords

• Selective mutism treatment
• Anxiety disorder therapy
• Parent coaching services
• Virtual reality therapy
• Speech language pathology

Headquarters

HQ city

Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: As a nonprofit organization, SMF relies on donations to fund operations. Minimum suggested donation of CAD$15 per household for group coaching sessions.
2. Workshop Fees: Professional workshops for educators, therapists, and school personnel on SM intervention techniques. Fees help fund the nonprofit.
3. Book Sales (VOCAL): Sale of the book 'VOCAL: Help Your Child Conquer Selective Mutism in <3 Hours with a Proven Strategy' through Amazon. Proceeds help run/subsidize Parent Group Coaching sessions.
4. Conference Registration: Ticket sales for annual SMF conferences, with free admission for individuals with SM aged 17 and older.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Selective Mutism Foundation develops and disseminates the proprietary VSR (Video Self-modeling, Stimulus Fading, and Reinforcement) treatment method for Selective Mutism in children. It delivers parent group coaching, school and family consultations, professional workshops, and an annual conference, and has co-developed the world's first self-serve Virtual Reality (VR) software with Brock University as a treatment tool for selective mutism. The foundation also publishes the VOCAL book and produces speech-recognition interactive video games designed for SM treatment.

Product overview

Selective Mutism Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of products and services for treating selective mutism centered around the VSR (Video Self-modeling, Reinforcement, Fading) method and innovative technology solutions. The core offerings include the VOCAL book detailing the proven treatment protocol, VR software (world's first self-serve virtual reality treatment tool), interactive speech-recognition video games, and Parent Group Coaching sessions moderated by Dr. Bork. Additional services include workshops for schools, families, and professionals, coach matching services connecting families with experienced parent coaches, the annual SMF Conference, and free educational guides. The treatment methodology has demonstrated success in treating long-standing SM cases in under 130 minutes per child, significantly faster than conventional approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VOCAL Book A published book by Dr. Poling Bork titled 'VOCAL: Help Your Child Conquer Selective Mutism in <3 Hours with a Proven Strategy,' detailing the VSR (Video Self-modeling, Reinforcement, and Fading) method. Sold globally via Amazon in 10+ languages; intended for parents, caregivers, educators, and clinicians seeking an evidence-based treatment protocol for SM.
• VR Software for Selective Mutism Treatment Self-serve virtual reality software co-developed with Brock University that places individuals with SM in simulated social scenarios (classroom, doctor's office, restaurant) with AI-driven virtual characters who ask questions or respond. Users practice answering and conversing to desensitize anxiety, with controls for muting, pausing, and progressive difficulty.
• Parent Group Coaching Weekly/monthly drop-in group coaching sessions moderated by Dr. Bork where parents of children with SM connect, seek advice, and stay current on SM developments. Requires minimum 3 families per session with a suggested donation of CAD$15 per household.
• Selective Mutism Workshops Consultations and training workshops for school personnel, families, and mixed stakeholder groups using the VSR method. Includes school consultations, family consultations, mixed stakeholder sessions, general SM workshops, and empirical research workshops on VR and AI for SM treatment.
• Interactive Video Games for Selective Mutism Speech-recognition software applications designed for SM treatment where children use audio input (blowing into tablets to inflate balloons, saying words to sort foods, speaking sentences to advance levels) to engage in goal-directed vocal behavior.

Quantifiable outcome

• SM treated in under 130 minutes per child within 8 sessions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, supporting and core.

• Dr. Katharina ManassisflagshipOthers · 1 September 2025Dr. Manassis, a renowned Canadian selective mutism researcher and author of 11 books on mental health, serves as the Keynote Speaker for the 2025 SMF Annual Conference. She has over 90 peer-reviewed papers with 11 focused on SM, and previously directed a clinical-research program at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto for over 20 years.
• Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics BoardsupportingOthers · 1 December 2024Approved the online research study recruiting children aged 4-8 with SM and their parents (Project #18037). The study aims to better understand social development in children with SM.
• Brock UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, Dr. Poling Bork partnered with Brock University to create the world's first self-serve VR software as a treatment tool for SM. The partnership involves collaborative research and development of VR technology for therapeutic applications. The 2025 SMF Annual Conference is hosted at Brock University.
• Niagara Catholic District School BoardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Lori DiMatteo Marcella, a Speech-Language Pathologist with the Niagara Catholic District School Board, who serves as Chair of SMF's Board of Directors. Collaboration on school-based SM interventions and professional workshops.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Understood.org: Nonprofit serving the 1-in-5 Americans with learning and attention issues including anxiety-related communication challenges; comparable to SMF in serving parents and educators of children with neurodevelopmental conditions, with overlapping IEP/school-accommodation resources but a broader learning-differences scope rather than SM specialization.
• Parallel Learning: Online teletherapy and tutoring provider specializing in learning differences, anxiety, and school-related support for children; comparable to SMF in serving the same parent-of-child-with-SM segment with virtual services and IEP support, though Parallel Learning operates as a commercial teletherapy marketplace rather than a research-driven nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA): US nonprofit covering anxiety disorders broadly, including selective mutism as a recognized condition; comparable to SMF in offering patient/family education, professional training, and conferences, but operating at a national-association scale across multiple anxiety conditions rather than specializing in SM.
• Child Mind Institute: Major US nonprofit children's mental-health organization providing clinical care, education, and research across pediatric anxiety disorders including selective mutism; comparable to SMF in mission scope (children's mental health, family resources, educator training) but vastly larger scale and a broader clinical portfolio.
• International OCD Foundation: Nonprofit focused on OCD and related anxiety disorders, including pediatric anxiety conditions adjacent to selective mutism; comparable to SMF in running annual conferences, clinician training, and family support programs, but at a much larger scale and broader anxiety-disorder scope.
• Mental Health America: US community-based nonprofit addressing all aspects of mental health including childhood anxiety; comparable to SMF in nonprofit advocacy, parent education, and screening-tool distribution, but at national scale across all mental health conditions rather than specializing in selective mutism.
• National Social Anxiety Center: US-based network of clinics and resources focused on social anxiety, which is closely related to selective mutism (SM is often classified as a social/communication anxiety disorder); comparable to SMF in treatment philosophy (graded exposure, CBT) and patient population overlap, though targeting adults rather than children.

Regional players

• Brave Brains: Online platform providing anxiety and OCD treatment for children and adolescents using evidence-based methods including exposure therapy; comparable to SMF in evidence-based pediatric anxiety intervention and digital delivery, though regional in primary focus and broader in condition scope than SM-specific.

Direct peers

• Selective Mutism Association: US-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to selective mutism awareness, education, and support — the closest direct peer to SMF, with overlapping mission, similar coaching/resource offerings, and a parallel global advocacy role; SMF differentiates via the VSR method and VR software while SMA leans on community chapters and clinical referrals.
• Selective Mutism Center: Clinic and resource center dedicated to selective mutism assessment and treatment, offering parent/professional training; directly comparable to SMF in target population and intervention focus, though SMF differentiates via the VSR protocol and VR software while this center leans on in-person clinical services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Selective Mutism Foundation