Hi. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of curing/assisting an acute fear of flies. My 2.5 year old girl comes screaming and crying (close to hysterical) when a fly comes near her. I have tried showing her what to do and I have even taught her the "Little Peter Rabbit" song but to no avail. I almost have to avoid going outside as an encounter can ruin the outing. Any help would be very appreciated.

Fears can be overcome by exposure therapy. This means getting her to have a fly near her in a controlled environment (you would have to trap one in a jar for this, or maybe a dead one would work). You start by having it in the house with her, then move it closer while talking to her about it being around and that she is still Ok. I don't know how you could realistically do this with a fly but it works with other creatures (dogs, spiders etc.) and with noises like thunder (make a recording and play it softly at first) as well as many other phobias.

Hope this helps,

Broni.