Dr. Amundson has more than twenty five years of experience in the assessment and treatment of adults, teens, and children. Over this time period he has developed an understanding of the psychology of persons’ emotional responses to crisis events, some of which was derived from his years engaged in the treatment of abused children. The current outbreak of Covid19 is obviously a crisis, and one that creates difficult emotional states for many of us.
Our responses to this situation are quite specific to each of us, but generally involve feelings of anxiety related to loss of feelings of control, dread (due to, say, the anticipation of falling ill, perhaps of dying, and/or of having financial problems due to job loss or an unpaid furlough), and a general sense of helplessness and even hopelessness.