Abstract
In this study, we considered the case of a third-year junior high school boy with selective mutism who had not spoken outside of the house in three years. There was no effect of medical therapy in hospital for this boy. We provided psychotherapy with a focus on monitoring and control of anxiety and tension. In front of people who know they do not speak, children with selective mutism, show strong symptoms continuously. Therefore, since the student did not talk in the first session of therapy, we tried not to make him aware that he was speaking and we tried to make relationships in a setting which does not promote anxiety. Furthermore, the time of entrance to high school and change of therapist was seen as a turning point. This allowed us to try to improve his symptoms by placing him in a situation where no one knew that he could speak. As a result, he became able to talk with a friend, a teacher at the high school, and a therapist, which led to the disappearance of symptoms of selective mutism. In summary, we reported a process of psychotherapy that considers the characteristics of such an adolescent with selective mutism and examined the therapeutic significance and its possibilities.
