The Friendly Spider Programme (FSP) is an afternoon course, carefully designed to ease or eliminate the condition of arachnophobia – fear of spiders.
The programme is a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnotherapy led by ZSL’s Head of Invertebrates Dave Clarke, in conjunction with John Clifford of the Centre of Clinical Hypnosis.
Success is measured by participants catching house spiders under a glass, to take it outside, and if they so wish, cured participants are given the chance to meet one of ZSL London Zoo’s red kneed spiders.