With the ongoing epidemic of COVID-19, no date has yet been set for students to return to regular classes on campus. Many schools have adopted various forms of online learning to ensure continuity of learning for students. People's original life rhythm has been disrupted, and in light of unprecedented difficulty and challenge, some adults and children experience anxiety. For example, asking a child who wants to have fun outdoors to stay at home for a whole month, can cause any parent a headache. It has become a daily routine for children to stay at home and let their parents play with them every minute of every day. Children neither know when they will be able to return to the campus to meet their friends, nor can they play outside or in their friends' homes as usual. Their daily activities are limited to their own houses.

Nowadays, news about COVID-2019 is overwhelming. Many people worry that they might get submerged in all kinds of negative information. Their emotions are too involved, and they seem powerless. The anxiety of family members can easily affect children. At present, many children may feel helpless and scared. People do not know what will happen tomorrow, next week or next month, which will undoubtedly make children feel insecure and vulnerable. If your son or daughter comes to you one day and says, "Mom, I am very worried about the terrible virus that you and Dad have been talking about." "I am very worried that this virus will make us all sick," or even more seriously, "Dad, I am very afraid, will this virus turn us all into zombies?"

Faced with questions from children about the disease, how would you, as a parent, reply in a smart way? In order to help you better answer the children's questions and help them relieve the anxiety caused by life changes, Beijing BISS International School invited Mr Wilson to conduct an online workshop entitled: " How can we help our children cope with the anxiety caused by the novel coronavirus?"

About Christopher Theodore Wilson BSc. (Hons) MSc. PGCE

Mr Christopher Theodore Wilson is a licensed counseling psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist. He is a member of the British Psychological Society and the European Federation of Psychologists’Association.

After a few years of working as an academic research associate at Kings College London University, with a focus on abnormal psychology and psychopathology, Mr Wilson began to work as a high school counselor, providing guidance and support to children that exhibited a wide range of special differences, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, autism and the gifted and talented children.

With the careful and thoughtful use of a variety of diagnostic and assessment tools, Mr Wilson continues to identify the underlying causes of students’dysfunctional behavior that creates a significant barrier to learning. He is then able to implement appropriate therapeutic psychological intervention strategies designed to help students grow, develop and ultimately empower them to reach their full academic, social and emotional potential, thus enabling them to lead happy, satisfying, meaningful and successful lives.