Thanks for all the tips. Class doesn’t start for another two weeks, but the day after i posted the OP, I found that she has already started in on the textbook and intends to make a go of it.
I also conveyed some of the ideas in this thread to help strengthen her morale.
Then, we sat down and I taught her how to do percentages again, since she hasn’t done them in a while.
I was always horrible in math (my eyes just glaze over and I go away), but I took 2 semesters of statistics, did a dissertation which required a factor analysis (among other tests), defended it to get my Ph.D. in psychology and passed the California licensing exam, which at the time had a fair amount of stats on it. By the time I was done, I actually understood it, too. 
She should give it a shot.
I’m pretty math phobic. Didn’t take a single math course the first time I was an undergrad. Stats was the only math course I took in high school that I got a C in.
A few years ago, I had a mandatory Six Sigma class at work. Really liked it. So I ended up with a Six Sigma Black Belt. I went from being math phobic to runnings statistical analysis for a living. It was a lot of fun.
A good instructor and a good stats book will help alot. Plus problems applicable to her field. If she gets stuck early, she should get help early - stats builds.
Is she all into being zen and shit? Because if she is, then it might help to know that math is a very zen activity, as I understand it.
I was a straight D math student my whole life until I wanted to go to grad school and everything turned around. I think the Ritalin helped, too.
The Cartoon Guide is very good and there are a lot of popular-press books out that of varying quality. I imagine that once she understands that mathematics is the Sixth Sense, she’ll find it easier to handle. The author Ian Stewart as some books on chance, IIRC. Also, Conned Again, Watson puts statistical problems in a Sherlock Holms environment. Why do Busses Come in Threes is another good general math book. Cliff Pickover has some good books out, IIRC. Browsing the book store will reveal many friendly books that tell stories of math without all the hard stuff.
So, if she doesn’t have to take the class right away, maybe she’ll agree to read some general books that are designed to be informative but fluffy, so see if the phobia can be overcome.
I’m so glad she’s going for it.
Statistics is a class many people in my grad program dreaded. Then we got a new faculty member who took over the course, and made it wonderful. The concepts were still challenging for many, but he was a good teacher and people enjoyed being there each week. Stats doesn’t have to be painful, and I hope your wife ends up feeling the same way.
I still lacked confidence until I took an advanced methods course and the professor there drew a spiral. She said you’d come back to topics in stats again and again, and hardly anyone gets them the first time! Each time you learn a little more. The person sitting next to you who seems to be a whiz isn’t different than you–he is just a little higher up the spiral. I found that reassuring.
One of the books my program assigns is something called “Statistics: A Spectator Sport.” It may also prove helpful.
OBVIOUSLY, she shouldn’t drop out of the program just because she’s scared of it. At least take the time to fail it before she drops out.
But, anyway, a required statistics course in a non-mathematical major is filled with people terrified of math, just like her. And the teaching and the course are geared towards those people.
It shouldn’t be a problem at all.
I’m a total math-phobe and I had no problem with statistics - I suppose it’s very applicable to everyday life, which made it easier for me to get my head around, for sure.
I think your wife should at least talk to the prof and find out what sort of topics are covered - if it’s predominantly computer based, assuming she’s not a total cone-head, she should have no trouble. It’s very intuitive.
Like others here, I can barely add 2 + 2 and get 4, but I had absolutely no problem with statistics in graduate school. The professor made all the difference in the world.