Books by Bill

Unlike other self-help or pop psychology books, 30 Ways to Cope Now skips the endless stories and pontification and gets to the crucial and effective components. Here is a coping skill. Here is how you practice it.

Written in a welcoming conversational tone by a therapist with over 20 years of experience; 30 Way to Cope Now provides the reader the tools and confidence needed to plant the tree of coping right now in the midst of stress, anxiety, and depression.

When Zach shoves his little brother to the floor, he knows he did something wrong. Even so, it’s hard to apologize. Like any seven-year-old, Zach tries to ignore the problem, but finally, with his mom’s help, he learns how to make an apology in four steps: 

Zach Apologizes teaches children social skills using a strategy presented as the “four-square” apology. It is illustrated with prompts so kids will easily understand and remember how to make an apology.

Zach’s dad teaches him a simple, three-step approach to dealing with frustration so he can find a way to enjoy himself even when things aren’t going his way: 

Zach Gets Frustrated teaches children social skills they will easily understand and remember when dealing with frustration. The three-point strategy is presented as the three corners of a triangle and is illustrated using the corners of Zach’s kite.

For Zach, a class field trip to the museum is about more than cool exhibits—it’s about learning from mistakes and dealing with feeling embarrassed. First he forgets to wear his field trip shirt, then he forgets the rule about not touching displays. His teacher helps him see that everyone makes mistakes—and how to use them to grow and develop a growth mindset. Using an easy-to-remember tool, the Key to Mistakes, she shows Zach and readers a simple three-step process.

Zach has set a goal for himself—to get across the tricky trapeze rings on the playground. Every time he tries, he falls off before making it to the end. But with encouragement from his best friend Sonya and positive self-talk, Zach uses a four-step approach to persevere to the end.

When Zach sees his friend Sonya being bullied at school, he doesn’t know what to do or how to be an upstander. The kids who are being mean are popular—it’s scary to think about getting involved. After talking with his brother and remembering what his teacher taught the class about bullying prevention, Zach creates a tool for being an upstander called the stand-up-to-bullying STAR.