Course Description

Instructor: Peter Campos

Everyone has fears of something or some situation; that’s perfectly normal. But when a fear becomes so extreme that it disables someone who can no longer function in personal, work, or social lives and relationships, it may be a phobia. What are phobias? What causes them? How are they best treated, if treatment is necessary at all? How do they come up with those odd sounding names ending in “-phobia”? In this class we will address all those questions and more; we will look at specific phobias, social phobias, and complex phobias in some detail. I want you to leave with a good understanding of what phobias are and of the most effective, and often quick, treatments based on decades of scientific research. I will draw on my past clinical and research work to illustrate some points.

Note: This class is NOT about diagnosing any particular person or issue, or about recommending personalized treatment plans.

Bio: Peter was trained as a Clinical Psychologist, and I owned a consulting company to help community organizations get Federal grants and address agency evaluation needs. I was formerly on faculty at Emory Medical School’s Psychiatry Department and SUNY-Binghamton’s Psychology Department and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for over 35 years. When not teaching at OLLI, I spend my retirement enjoying Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, writing, learning languages, and traveling.