Registration for CKC 2026 is closed, please see our treatment page for more options, or apply next year (applications open Jan 10, 2027!)

CKC 2026 will be July 27-July 31, 2026.

Camp is held at the Shepherd of the Lakes school, at 2101 South Hacker Road in Brighton, Michigan. However, some lead-in sessions are held at the Brighton office of Thriving Minds (8163 W. Grand River Road, Ste. 100, Brighton, Michigan, 48114) or at the Chelsea office of Thriving Minds (350 N. Main Street, Chelsea, MI). Please carefully note the location of the lead-in session when that information is sent to you via email.

Please see our tab on activities and places to stay for more information HERE

Generally, classes are no more than 8 campers.

We ask for those videos to be sent to us ASAP, but certainly prior to the 60 minute pre-camp consultation with a camp director. Please attach the videos to your application, or send them via email or a link to ckc@thrivingminds.info ASAP.

We keep a small wait list for each classroom of only 3 people. Given the high number of registrations that we receive every year, we recommend that families sign up as early as possible to ascertain a slot in camp or a place on the wait list.

Wait list registration is completed in the same manner as regular registration. Families fill out the registration packet, and will be alerted that they are on the waitlist. The waitlist is only 3 slots per classroom.

If a slot opens up in your child’s age group (classroom), we will immediately call the first person on the wait list. We suggest responding quickly to that phone call, as we will continue to move through the waitlist until we find a match.

If there is significant interest in a certain age group, we consider opening up another class, provided we have enough counselors/teachers available.

No slot can be held without a deposit. The application is not considered complete until a deposit is paid.

Yes, we encourage patients at Thriving Minds to consider CKC as a component of their treatment!

It is possible that the child’s clinician will be a teacher at camp, but teacher assignments are based on a variety of variables so we can’t guarantee specific placements for a single camper.

Your child’s clinician will likely be involved in the lead-in sessions for camp.

No, we can provide a formal diagnosis via our interactions, observations, and questionnaires completed as a part of camp.

We have found that a few criteria make for a “good fit” at CKC. (1) The child is motivated or at least willing to participate in camp, (2) the child is able to speak to the clinician and counselor in the lead-in session, (3) the child needs practice in a school-like setting, and (4) the child needs practice with peers. Additionally, the pre-camp 60 minute consultation with parents is intended to verify good fit for your child’s specific needs.

We welcome children who are both treated with medication and not treated with medication at camp. If your child is medicated, please continue that intervention during the week of camp.

We regularly reach out to treating clinicians (non-TMBH) as a part of our intake process, to obtain more information on the child, the interventions that work/don’t work, and goals that the clinician might have. Please make sure to include them in the disclosure form as a part of the intake paperwork so that we can reach out to them.

Yes, we welcome families from all over the country and world. Please note that the only language used at camp is English, and therefore children/parents would need a working knowledge of the English language to make the most of the camp experience.

CKC 2026 is $3250, paid out in 4 installments prior to camp. This cost includes the pre-camp consultation, lead-in sessions, the cost of camp, parent training during the week of camp, and a full personalized report with recommendations provided after camp (which can be shared with the school and/or treating providers). Payments are $850 at registration, $800 on April 1, $800 on May 1, and $800 on June 1.

Yes, after the first downpayment on camp, we can charge your credit card on file at each installment.

Yes, we accept HSA and FSA cards.

If you need to change your credit card on file, please alert us at ckc@thrivingminds.info, and we will send you an updated credit card authorization form to complete. Please do so before the next payment is attempted

We provide a short grace period. We will immediately contact you; please contact us with updated credit card information to hold your camp slot.

If a credit card can be used by that organization or individual, it is no problem for us to charge someone else for camp costs. Other circumstances can be discussed by emailing the billing department at billing@thrivingminds.info.

Yes, we do have one scholarship per year. The scholarship pays for the camp costs in full, but families are required to provide a $400 deposit, which will be refunded in full upon completion of the full camp experience (attendance to the pre-camp consultation, lead-in sessions, 5 full days of camp, and parent training daily). If a family does not attend all camp experiences, the $400 will not be refunded. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please email Dr. Aimee Kotrba at akotrba@thrivingminds.info with a statement of need and how the camp could benefit your child.

All families are required to pay the entire amount of $3250 for camp, with refunds coming after the camp sessions have been submitted to BCBS. Therefore, the only change would be that a family who initially had BCBS at the time of registration but changes to another insurance company prior to the week of camp would not receive any insurance-based refund post-camp.

Yes, if your primary health insurance is BCBS Traditional or PPO, we will bill the allowed amount to your insurance company after camp is completed.

The amount paid towards camp is dependent on your copay and deductible; it’s important to look at your benefits and call about coverage. Billable reimbursement could be approximately $1500, depending on benefits.

No, non-BCBS plans will not be billed on your behalf. However, we do provide a detailed superbill after camp, and those can be submitted to your insurance company for out-of-network benefit reimbursements, if you are eligible. It is recommended that you contact your insurance company to ask about out-of-network coverage.

During camp, we use one code of 90791 (intake), 7 codes of 90837 (individual therapy), and 7 codes of 90785 (complexity code).

Superbills are a detailed receipt of all services, procedure codes, dates, and costs from camp. For families who are interested in submitting the costs to their non-BCBS health insurance plans, these superbills will have all of the information that an insurance company will need to consider reimbursement. Alternatively, some HSAs and FSAs require superbills be kept for proof of service.

Lead-in sessions are pre-camp intervention sessions, required in order to verify that your child is able to speak during the week of camp. (If your child attended camp, but was unable to speak for the entirety of the camp week, it would likely only serve to further maintain avoidance of speech). Through the lead-in sessions, an expert therapist will use behavioral interventions (stimulus fading, shaping, reinforcement) to obtain speech and then transfer that speech to the camper’s counselor. Thus, we will feel confident that your child will be able to talk to at least two people at camp (the therapist and counselor), and that we can use that pre-existing speech to generalize to other people and locations.

Lead-in sessions also allow your child to meet their counselor and get comfortable with them prior to camp, making the first day of camp a slightly less anxiety-provoking experience! Lead-in sessions are completed at some point during the summer before camp; they generally start being scheduled in June but could occur as close as the week before camp begins. Most children are scheduled for three one-hour lead-in sessions; this will be discussed during the 60 minute pre-camp consultation.

We have extensive experience in treating SM, and have found the behavioral interventions that we use to be effective in helping most children speak during the lead-in sessions. However, in the unlikely chance that your child is not able to talk during the lead-in session, the child would not be qualified to attend camp. We would discuss other treatment options with you at that time.

Yes, we ask that parents stay during the lead-in sessions. Many parents are involved in the lead-in sessions for at least a portion of the time.

Lead-in sessions are intended to be fun and engaging. You can bring toys, games, or craft activities that are interesting to your child and encourage speech. Ask your child forced-choice or open-ended questions instead of yes/no questions during the lead-in, in order to encourage more responses. Do not create too much anticipatory anxiety in your child by alerting them that they won’t be able to attend camp if they don’t speak, but you could encourage them to be brave with an incentive at the end of the lead-in. More tips, plans, and strategies will be discussed in the pre-camp consultation.

For campers who have non-BCBS health insurance plans, we typically find that having all 3 lead-in sessions in one day is easier for scheduling and travel purposes, but this can be discussed during the pre-camp consultation. For BCBS families, we generally recommend that the lead-ins are scheduled for one hour on the first day and then two hours on a second date to make the most of potential insurance reimbursement.

If families are non-local, they must come in to do their lead-in sessions in person prior to camp. This could be done during the summer if the family prefers, but many families find it easier/more cost efficient to travel to the Brighton, Michigan area only one time, and therefore do their lead-in sessions on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday before camp starts. The family can relax and explore the beauty of Michigan in summertime during the weekend, and then start camp on Monday. We do not conduct lead-in sessions on weekends.

For most campers, lead-in sessions must be done in person. How and when the lead-ins will be conducted will be discussed in the pre-camp consultation.

Most campers are required to complete lead-in sessions prior to camp, to verify that they are able to speak to the therapist and camp counselor. How and when the lead-ins will be conducted will be discussed in the pre-camp consultation.

Yes! We provide FREE childcare for siblings of any age during the parent training, and siblings are welcome at the family day.

No, there is no childcare during the family day at Greenfield Village. However, siblings are welcome to attend that day with parents.

Yes, you may purchase reduced-price tickets prior to July 8 on our website after registration.

Yes, but these will need to be purchased at the gate on the day of the event at full cost.

Yes, you are allowed and encouraged to use your own pass. If you have a pass, please alert Dr. Kotrba so that she is able to purchase the correct number of passes for camp.

Please send campers with a change of clothes if there is a possibility that they will have an accident (or just get dirty outside!), a water bottle, a lunch and at least 1-2 nut-free snacks, and sunscreen. We do have a refrigerator for lunches that need refrigeration.

Both parents are encouraged but it’s fine to have just one parent attend. While recording is not allowed (due to confidentiality), the parent attending can “call in” another parent/caregiver live to allow them to overhear. Additionally, parents are welcome to bring an additional caregiver (such as a grandparent) or even someone from the school if desired. Please only two people per family due to space constraints.

Parent training is located at the camp building, in the Genesis Hall (directions will be provided on the first day of camp). It runs from 9:15-10:45am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The intent of parent training is to help parents learn about SM, how to support their child, what the school should be providing/doing, etc. as well as to hear from other families who are on the same path as you and may have additional insights. It is very casual; many parents say that the parent training was as important and helpful as camp itself.

Parents are welcome to skip parent trainings if they want/need to do so. We would highly encourage parents to attend parent trainings, even if they have already pursued treatment and/or education on the topic of SM because a) our treatment approach/recommendations might be different and b) many parents find value in collaborating with each other. For parents who have participated in behavioral intervention programs with their children, we offer an advanced track parent training on some days.

We make every effort for camp to have similar challenges to a normal school day for your child (based on age), while also including psycho-education and community practices. For example, a day may include circle time, show and tell, answering teacher’s questions, and going on a field trip to talk to community-based adults. For an example camp schedule, click HERE

Junior counselors are chosen by invitation only; JCs are typically children who had SM but who are well-treated and can now fully participate as a model, helper, and practice partner.

We strongly encourage all children to fully participate in the entire camp week. With the exception of an emergency or illness, there would be no reimbursement for missed time at camp.

If there was proof of an emergency situation or illness that would preclude your child from attending camp, a reimbursement may be considered (situation-dependent).

We do not run other camps, but there are other camps nationwide that occur at other times of the year. We do have other treatment modalities, such as individual therapy, group therapy, parent training and consultation, and school training and consultation offered year-round. To find out more about these options, email Dr. Kotrba at akotrba@thrivingminds.info.

Camp isn’t for everyone! As a specialty clinic for SM, Thriving Minds offers many other treatment options; for more information you can set up a free 15 minute phone consultation with Katelyn Reed, our Director of Selective Mutism Treatment by emailing admin@thrivingminds.info.

Refunds take time to process due to BCBS’s processing speed; it can take up to 3 months to process the refunds. The refund will be provided as a check sent via mail.

No, unfortunately our credit card system isn’t able to refund directly to an HSA or FSA card. The refund will be sent via check.

For families who are “returners” to camp or who already get services through Thriving Minds prior to camp, we have a bonus – they are able to send one individual to attend Dr. Kotrba’s “Unlocking the Mystery of Selective Mutism” workshop for free! This full-day workshop provides training specifically for school personnel, although parents/caregivers are also invited to attend. If your child already receives treatment at Thriving Minds or has already attended CKC in the past, just email Dr. Kotrba after camp to get a promo code for registration. (This will be explained more fully during camp, as well).