Kristin Mathis, M.S., CCC-SLP

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and a master's degree at Miami University, Kristin began her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Nashville in 1998. For the past 27 years, Kristin has been providing therapy to children in pediatric rehabilitation settings, schools, and private practice settings. 

In 2013, Kristin was introduced to the world of Selective Mutism through a four-year-old little boy. Kristin used her brilliance to find the most effective therapy approach when training was extraordinarily limited on SM. Combining excellent behavioral therapy techniques with speech and language techniques to support children her work took off in the field of SM. For the last decade of her career, Kristin has specialized in the treatment of SM for children, adolescents, and young adults.

Her experience treating social (pragmatic) communication disorder in children enhanced and optimized SM treatment outcomes of her students.  Before the emphasis of her career being on treating SM, the primary focus had been on understanding and treating the social (pragmatic) communication disorders of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and sensory processing disorder. Kristin is an expert in treating SPCD through individual speech-language therapy and through facilitating students' social (pragmatic) language skills in both individual and group therapy. 

Throughout Kristin’s career she has aligned herself with other professionals in the community to allow collaboration in meeting my students' therapeutic needs. Whether it is co-treating with an occupational therapist, collaborating with psychologists and psychiatrists, or connecting with counselors, Kristin believes that the multi-disciplinary approach is of great benefit to the clinician and the patient. To expand this emphasis on collaboration and community, Kristin joined Eleanor Ezell, LCSW, at Child and Family Therapy Collective in January 2025.  Eleanor and Kristin are expanding the Selective Mutism services across the southeast and providing a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting the communication, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children with SM and social anxiety. This collaborative team approach allows them to implement multi-disciplinary therapy models that have the evidence-base to support the clinician decision making every step of the way.

Kristin serves as Tennessee's Selective Mutism Association State Coordinator. As an SMA State Coordinator, she works to increase the awareness of selective mutism within Tennessee's medical and educational systems and assist families in meeting their child's therapeutic needs.  With both Kristen and Eleanor in leadership positions with the Selective Mutism Association, they are able to further expand public awareness of SM and increase community support, particularly in Tennessee and surrounding states. 

In addition to providing speech-language therapy, Kristin has vast experience in serving as a presenter and trainer to various organizations. She enjoys working with academic institutions to train their educational teams on children's language and social behaviors, teaching teams about the various strategies that are proven to facilitate students' social skills in the classroom, and training professionals on SM  and effective therapies. Kristin has served as a presenter at the Annette Eskind Institute of Learning at Currey Ingram Academy over multiple years. She was recently honored to be the featured speaker at the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIA) Neurodiversity Conference. In October 2024, connected with various members of the Selective Mutism Association at the annual SMA Conference and presented a seminar on Meeting the Social (Pragmatic) Communication Needs of Students with Selective Mutism. She is dedicated to closing the gaps in how mental health providers and SLP coordinate care for SM.

Kristin has served as regional trainer of the TRIAD Teacher Training/DOE Regional Autism Training Project (2000). She holds a certification in PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and Interactive Metronome treatment. 

Over the past 10 years, Kristin has focused on expanding her understanding of how anxiety affects children's communication and social abilities. To expand her knowledge and strengthen her expertise in meeting the therapeutic needs of children and adolescents, she has obtained numerous certifications in treating anxiety in children and adolescents. After observing the challenges of students returning to "normal" school following the COVID-19 epidemic, she completed the School Refusal Training Institute for Providers through the Rockville Therapy Center to address students' school refusal behaviors.