Fear Facers Summer Camp

Children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or anxiety are invited to join us this summer for a one- or two-week camp session. In addition to daily therapy, participants between the ages of 7 and 15 will experience activities that allow for personal growth and improved behaviors.

Camp dates and times

Check back for dates for the Summer of 2025.

Hosted by UF Health Psychology and the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders, the Fear Facers Summer Day Camp will be led by a team of medical and academic experts including Carol Mathews, MD, a UF Health psychiatrist internationally recognized for her work in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders and Joseph McNamara, PhD, a UF Health psychologist who specializes in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorders

Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects over 2 million individuals in the United States. During the Fear Facers Summer Day Camp, participants will benefit from intensive treatment featuring cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, which has been shown to reduce symptoms by at least 50 percent.

CBT exposes triggers and teaches people to resist compulsions, with 85 percent of patients experiencing positive results. People are taught to respond to anxious thoughts in an adaptive and realistic manner.

The OCD Program at UF Health Medical Psychology offers intensive outpatient and weekly CBT treatments with pharmacological treatment coordinated as needed. Over an average of three weeks, patients meet with their designated therapists and receive assignments that encourage therapeutic exercises. The care team continues to work with the children and their families after the program ends by collaborating with other health care providers and caretakers.

For More mnformation

To learn more about treatment options for obsessive-compulsive disorder at UF Health, please visit UF Health Psychology or fill out our form: