Dr. Kevin Meyer to discuss anxiety and fear

Meyer's Face Your Fear Project helps students with a professed fear of roller coasters apply techniques to battle anxiety and fear and tackle the rides.

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

University of Mount Union Press Release

Editor's Note: Kevin is an active PointBuzzer and one of our favorite forum contributors. You may know him better as Kevinj. His Face Your Fear project has helped 67 students conquer their fear of roller coasters over the last five years.

Dr. Kevin Meyer, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Mount Union, will present, “Mind the Boogeyman: Controlling and Conquering Anxiety and Fear” during a UMU Experts talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 23 the East Room of the Hoover-Price Campus Center.

For the past five years, Meyer has led a group of students in his Abnormal Psychology course on a trip to Cedar Point where they have participated in the Face Your Fear Project. During the project, students with a professed fear of roller coasters have applied techniques to battle anxiety and fear and tackle the rides. Over the years, no student has failed to conquer his or her phobias in this semester-long project.

For centuries, the Boogeyman has lived in the imaginations of children, used by parents as a way to keep their behavior in line. While many adults have long since learned to stop feeding this mythical creature with their fear, a lot of individuals still harbor their own Boogeyman that controls how they act, think and feel. The good news is that fear and anxiety are just like the monsters in the closet, and anyone can learn to face their fears and take control. The techniques students learn in the Face your Fear project are therapeutic techniques that any willing person can master.

Meyer earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Development and Family Science: Marriage and Family Therapy, a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Science: Early Childhood Development and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from The Ohio State University. His research interests include the study of humor, the therapist/client relationship, anxiety disorders and the nature and treatment of phobias.

UMU Experts presentations are intended to give students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding community an opportunity to learn about a timely topic from a Mount Union faculty member in his or her area of expertise.

Meyer will give a 20-minute presentation followed by a question and answer session. The event is free, open to the public and refreshments will be available. For more information, call (330) 823-6078.