The assessment of selective mutism usually takes place in a clinic, where the child often refuses to speak to the therapist. The challenge when trying to understand the child's own perspective is to find a medium for communication. Three selectively mute children were interviewed using Raven's Controlled Projection for Children (RCPC). The children willingly communicated in writing or on a computer about sensitive themes, such as: school refusal; sexual abuse; drug and alcohol abuse; anxiety about parents' health and death; problems with making friends; lies; testing authority. RCPC enabled these selectively mute children to express themselves without having to speak. With other information sources the stories could be helpful in planning treatment, irrespective of the researcher's theoretical orientation.