How to Recognize and Support Children with Selective Mutism and/or Social Anxiety

Jacqueline Sperling, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, an assistant professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and the co-founder and co-program director of the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program at McLean Hospital. She is the author of the book Find Your Fierce: How to Put Social Anxiety in Its Place and a contributor for Harvard Health Publishing. Dr. Sperling specializes in implementing cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention and working with youth with anxiety disorders and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder. She also focuses on caregiver guidance, such as behavioral parent training, to help families address children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

In addition, Dr. Sperling is passionate about disseminating evidence-based information to the community. For example, Dr. Sperling has been interviewed by journalists and reporters from a variety of media outlets, such as The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, CBS News, and The Boston Globe. She frequently provides expert commentary on a range of topics, such as the impact of social media use on mental health.

Moreover, Dr. Sperling is committed to increasing access to care and participates in advocacy at state and federal government levels. For example, Dr. Sperling was interviewed by staff members of the Federal Government's House Committee on Energy & Commerce to inform a mental health hearing.