Anna Svetchnikov, executive director of Longwood Care and a well-known licensed marriage and family therapist in Lynn, has created a comic book for children about the COVID-19 virus.
“During these challenging times with everyone in quarantine and so much unpredictability and worries, we want to promote positivity and creativity,” said Svetchnikov, a former Mrs. Massachusetts pageant winner.
She said she authored the book in response to parents’ concerns about their children during this stresseful time of a global pandemic.
“As a therapist, I am continuing to provide support to familes,” said Svetchnikov. “Many individuals shared how stressed and worried they are about the virus, about uncertainty, about their future. Children start to pick up on parents’ stress and internalize worries. To support families, I created a story that includes therapeutic activities to overcome stressors.”
Svetchnikov, who also speaks Russian and Ukrainian, said the goal of her book is help families be more playful, creative, and patient with each other. The stories in the book emphasize good hygiene, learning, and working as a team – qualities that help the characters in the book achieve success.
“I had an idea two weeks ago, worked on it during the weekends and wrote a script,” said Svetchnikov. “I told my kids and they said, ‘go for it – it’s a cool idea.”’
The three children of Michael and Anna Svetchnikov – Anthony, 7, Adrian, 4, and Apollo, 1 – all appear as characters in the book.
“The villain in the book is Corona Vera – it’s my mom, whose name is Vera,” said Anna. “I’ve also written a little song for the book.”
The book will be available free of charge on the Longwood Care website beginning this Sunday.
Svetchnikov, a supporter of the Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce at its events, has clients of all ages at Longwood Care, which has offices in Lynnfield and Danvers. She is conducting visits by teleconference at this time.
(Background information and photos for the story were provided by Anna Svetchnikov. The Lynn Journal interviewed Ms. Svetchnikov for the story).