By Brandon HENSLEY

A local clinical psychologist is hoping to release her children’s book this fall as kids across the country continue to deal with socially distanced learning, which could have negative effects on their psyches.

If you ask Dr. Regine Muradian, the effects of remote learning due to concerns over COVID-19 could manifest in children in ways that make them anxious, lethargic or depressed. Muradian’s idea for her book was to take those manifestations and turn them into bees … worry bees, to be more exact.

Her book, “Franky and the Worry Bees,” hopes to launch in September and aims to help kids turn their negative mindset into a positive one. The story follows a boy named Franky who has worry bees but doesn’t know how to talk about them. He finds out his parents have worry bees, too, and learns valuable tips on how to block out those annoying buzzing sounds.

The self-published effort is still in the design stage. Muradian, who works and lives in Glendale, said the idea was born out of living in the age of quarantine. Like so many, she’s been relegated to working via Zoom, and it’s been an eye-opening experience.

“I had to learn how to engage my clients, teens, adults … there so much fatigue with Zoom. Even kids are getting bored. That’s the term they use,” Muradian said.

She said she had to answer tough questions, like how do we keep kids engaged? It’s not just distance learning, but distance living, and how is this going to work?

“The bees represent all the negative stuff in life,” she said. “Kids can say, ‘I can’t do this, I’m not smart enough’ … as humans, we all have this. Even a kid as young as 8 may have negative thoughts.”

Maybe those thoughts are about online learning or going back to school. Muradian, a mother of three, said even when kindergarteners go back to school, they may be overwhelmed with information from their parents that includes always wearing a face mask, for example, and will be ill-prepared if an older kid approaches them without one – how are they going to react when it comes to health and safety?

Muradian said after the book’s release, she’s planning on releasing PDF files that can be downloaded. These will have bubbles that are blank, giving the opportunity for the reader to write down their own worry bees with advice on how to best overcome them.

“They aren’t real. Those are thoughts [we] create,” Muradian said. “They don’t help us in any way.”

Since she’s a full-time worker and a mom to kids ages 14, 12, and 9, Muradian hasn’t always had the time for extracurricular activities. She said writing something like “Franky and the Worry Bees” has always been a dream of hers. Once quarantine hit, the opportunity presented itself.

“It’s easy to give up on these sorts of things, and I’m a fighter,” Muradian said. “When there’s a project that’s meant to be out there, you make it work.”

The intent of the book isn’t so much about being a bestseller. Muradian said she wants to inspire others to seek out their passion and she also wants to start a conversation about anxiety. She said she’s given some of her younger clients the blank bubble prompts, and the response has been positive; the kids report feeling better after expressing their doubts and worries.

“It brought so much joy to my heart. To finally put it into something [tangible] you talk so much about  … to finally put it in this format was incredible,” she said of creating the book.

The templates help kids express themselves, she said, because, “When you use something in third person, it detaches them from their own feelings and makes them feel comfortable.”

“Franky and the Worry Bees” is targeted for children 8 to 12. Muradian said she has another book planned after this release, and it’s meant to be a series focused on distance learning.

For more information, visit reginemuradian.com.

  Brandon Hensley