Group outings

Greetings P-Buzzers,

I am currently on the faculty at Mount Union College (psych), and am starting a new tradition for my abnormal psychology students; a trip to CP to discuss and experience phobias and exposure therapy. Part of the letter I sent to CP recently will better explain what I am doing.

I have a couple questions for those of you here:

1. Has anyone else out there ever headed such a trip to CP? If so, how was the experience?

2. Have you ever been a participant on such a trip? Was it valuable to you? How so? (besides the obvious of getting a trip to CP for "educational purposes").

Just interested in your thoughts.

Here's the letter:

Greetings Cedar Point;

My name is Kevin Meyer, and my wife and I are long-time Cedar Point fans. I am also a professor of psychology at Mount Union College, just south of you in Alliance, OH.

As you may know, part of abnormal psychology deals with phobias, and the most recognizable treatment for phobias is known as "exposure therapy". During this type of treatment a client is gradually exposed to whatever is at the root of their anxiety until they come to the realization that these fears were based on irrational thoughts/beliefs. Indeed, many people, both young and old, have a fear of heights, and roller coasters, specifically. These phobias are often grounded in the irrational belief(s) that one has a possibility of dying or "falling out" of a roller coaster (much like a fear of flying in airplanes).

Mount Union supports professors making trips to different locations to give students unique hands-on exposure to what they discuss in the classroom, and I can think of no better laboratory than Cedar Point to discuss phobias and even exercise some exposure therapy (I'm also a licensed therapist in the state of Ohio).

I just wanted to inform you that such a trip is in the works, and I plan on making it an annual (or bi-annual) trip for my students in abnormal psychology. I was not sure if Cedar Point does anything (or can) to assist educators on trips such as these? Any info you could provide would be very helpful. I can be contacted via email or phone anytime.

A quick update on this...

So, the initial survey research has been done, approval given, and now we have a name and a date, and I'm in the process of designing some fliers, which is fun to do when I look out my office window and see snow.

"Face your Fear, 2010" will be held September 26th (all day) for Abnormal Psychology students at Mount Union.

Currently in the process of actively recruiting student volunteers with a roller-coaster phobia to be our proverbial guinea pigs.