Anxiety Treatment Center of Maryland

02/13/2023

Dr. Keeton is excited to announce a new summer camp for young kids with selective mutism! Registration is now open. Feel free to email for more details, or find more info here: https://www.brighteroutlook-cbt.com/kol-kids-therapy-camp

01/13/2023

We are currently recruiting counselors for Kids Out Loud, our intensive treatment summer camp for kids with selective mutism. Interested individuals can contact Dr. Keeton!

11/17/2021

We are super excited to announce that Headspace is now free for teens. We hope this platform will help teens be kind to their minds, with mindfulness tools to help support their mental health. Launched in partnership with Bring Change to Mind and Peer Health Exchange. Find more information here: https://www.headspace.com/teens

10/30/2021

We are busy getting our boosters today!

10/02/2021

Check out this amazing calendar created by the Selective Mutism Association for SM awareness month!

We are excited to kick off SM awareness month with an October Courage Calendar! Feel free to modify any challenge to meet your individual goals. We are cheering you on and can’t wait to hear about all the courage happening in October!

10/24/2020

This is HUGE...there is low awareness about selective mutism, but our own governor is helping to spread the word!!

Government House is lit teal tonight for Selective Mutism Awareness Month. Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder characterized by the inability to speak in certain settings and situations, and early identification can make a critical impact.

Learn more at selectivemutism.org.

10/24/2020

October is Selective Mutism (SM) Awareness Month. Take a look at this New York Times article on the topic of SM. Also, find helpful resources at selectivemutism.org

Selective mutism is a common anxiety condition whereby kids who are normally chatty at home clam up around outsiders or at school.

04/13/2020

We are hearing from many students (and parents) who are highly anxious about the transition to online instruction. This is understandable – there is not much that breeds anxiety more effectively than uncertainty! Consider these tips to help you through the transition:

Behavior Tips: (1) Resist the urge to avoid: When anxiety strikes, we tend to naturally avoid situations as a way to protect ourselves. But avoidance produces only temporary benefits. If you are feeling inclined to avoid google meets or other school video forums (including sitting off-screen), try to resist this plan because you won’t get used to it if you don’t try it; (2) Practice: Get used to seeing yourself and allowing others to see you on screen by communicating with friends and family using apps like FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, House Party, Snap Chat, and Marco Polo; (3) Collect information: Help yourself by reading emails and other information released by your teachers, and watch any informational videos if they are available.

Cognitive Tips: (1) Notice & challenge unhelpful thinking: If you are anxious, your thoughts are likely full of “What Ifs” and worse-case-scenario themes. Challenge your thoughts by recognizing that you are not alone, and the situation is brand new for 100% of students and teachers. Also think about other times you did something even though you felt highly anxious about it – Did it work out? Did you survive it? Was it as bad as you thought it would be? (2) Consider possible benefits: When we are anxious, we tend to have automatic thoughts that assume change will be bad. Ask yourself “What positives can come out of this?” (perhaps getting to see some familiar faces, learning something new, getting to chew gum during glass, fending off boredom....)

04/08/2020

Need help coping with the COVID situation? Below are some ideas for developing coping plans that include a variety of independent and family-based strategies. Consider activities that are:

SOCIAL - FaceTime with friends and other family members; play games with friends online, family game night, family movie night, etc.
PHYSICAL - going for walks, working out at home, doing online yoga classes, playing "Just Dance"
INTELLECTUAL - work on school work, learn about something new, play an instrument, write a story/poem/song about coping with our new circumstances
SELF-CARE - try out some mindfullness apps such as CALM.com; listen to music, journal about your experiences and emotions; seek support from friends, family, and professionals when needed; treat yourself to an at-home spa day; challenge negative and catastrophic thinking; shift thoughts away from those things we cannot do and focus more on those we can; identify 3 things everyday for which you are grateful and/or proud, etc.
PRODUCTIVE - clean out those closets and make donations to local charities; redecorate rooms in your home, learn to cook or bake something new, organize every room in your home, do your Spring cleaning, etc.
CREATIVE - draw, paint, knit, photography, play an instrument, start some new arts and crafts, put on a family play/show, create photo albums or scrap books, etc.
SPIRITUAL - read and watch materials that are uplifting, connect online with spiritual or religious services, offer help to those in need, meditate, connect with nature in your neighborhood, etc.

04/04/2020

We are all facing challenging circumstances. We will periodically post some suggestions to help families and individual cope with the many lifestyle changes and stressors impacting all of us. Here's one idea...

Develop a COVID Family Coping Plan:
Have a discussion with family members about how the family is impacted by the COVID situation (including sharing worries, disappointments, and frustrations while validating the emotional concerns of each person), and generate coping strategies to deal with the very real stressors that we are all facing (what new roles will family members need to implement such as sharing household chores? how will the family members cope with stress and conflict? what activities can family members engage in to alleviate boredom?), and develop daily routines to provide structure around sleep/wake schedules, meals, activities, education, chores, etc.

03/24/2020

This app (which started as "Pacifica" and is now "Sanvello") offers tools for managing anxiety and depression just like we offer in our treatments...and right now it's free for all users. Check it out!

It's already a global pandemic— doesn't need to make it worse. That's why Sanvello is now free to everyone during the crisis: http://bit.ly/FreeSanvello

03/20/2020

During COVID-19, we are offering telehealth appointments using a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. Current patients should email or call us with any questions!