The Pilot Program

The Pilot Program
The Pilot Program is a type of therapy that works for people who have difficulties regulating feelings. ABH developed this therapy based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and the Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) method to complement the concrete thinking patterns of the people we serve. The Pilot Program is a process that requires the entire team on board to serve the individual. When working the Pilot Program with a person, it is typical for the clients to be involved in individual sessions along with Pilot Classes (Skill Building Group Therapy).

Pilot Classes (Skill Building Group Therapy)
At ABH we like to call the skill building groups Pilot Classes. We call it a Pilot Class because it is not a typical group. Personal issues are not the focus of the group. We encourage clients to save personal issues for their individual sessions. Pilot Classes are a learning environment where the individuals learn about the "Pilot" and other key concepts of the Pilot Program, such as "Ride the Wave", "Bad Thoughts/Good Thoughts," and "Self-Soothing Activities."

Individual Therapy
In a typical individual session, we focus on the individual's response to important feelings, we talk about recent events and work on figuring out different ways to react to those situations when they occur again. Every individual has a diary card to help keep track of the emotions they are experiencing and if they actually acted upon these feelings. The diary card will help the individual learn when they have strong feelings, what triggers the emotions that cause behaviors, when they start and the reason why. We use this information in our individual sessions and work on learning how to deal with these emotions when they arise. The diary card is an intricate and required part of therapeutic process.

Training/Workshops
Several times a year we provide a workshop to teach the concepts of the Pilot Program to staff and team members. Please email if you are interested in attending our next workshop.