WELCOME
I offer a limited amount of ‘three-session coaching’ blocks and more in-depth psychological therapy for pilots affected by traumatic incidents. Read on for more, or feel free to try any of the resources.
Hugh Miller
WHAT I OFFER
- I offer coaching to help you reach your goals in XC or competition flying – focussing on any particular blocks or challenges that are holding you back, and opportunities for improvement.
- I also offer evidence-based, trauma-focussed psychological therapy for pilots who have developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing or witnessing traumatic incidents in flying.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
I currently hold the role of Principal Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist at a large NHS trust, where I am the PTSD Pathway Lead. I am also a senior CBT tutor at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience (IOPPN) at Kings College London. Within paragliding, I have over 30 years’ experience including international competitions, national record flying, instructing and coaching. I also hold hang gliding and sailplane licenses.
THE ‘THREE SESSION COACHING’ FORMAT
The idea is to improve specific, definable aspects of your flying during a flying season. The protocol is goal-focussed with three hour-long sessions, spaced through the season. Between sessions, you’ll be doing preparation work, session track analysis, flying differently, and we’ll communicate via WhatsApp. If it goes well, new approaches should become integrated into your flying to help you move forwards.
The coaching involves:
1. A brief chat to understand what you want help with and see if working together might be productive. I’ll then set you some preparation work for the first session. This might involve completing self-rating forms and other questionnaires (perhaps this), reviewing track logs, and involving other pilots in the upcoming process.
2. We then have a first session to choose goals, identify blocks and set up some tasks and experiments. We’ll look at as much as we can – equipment set-up, forecasting, planning, thermalling and gliding, decision-making etc. You go and fly, trying out new approaches. We stay in touch by WhatsApp.
3. A month later, a mid-season session helps deepen our understanding of what is working, and what isn’t, and tweak the plan.
4. Finally, we have a review session to see what has worked, what hasn’t, and develop a ‘next steps’ plan.
TRAUMA-FOCUSSED PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY
As an experienced psychological therapist I can screen and assess for symptoms of PTSD and offer the psychological therapy interventions that have been proven to offer the best chances of success.
Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR are the recommended first-line treatments for PTSD and have the best evidence-base for helping resolve nightmares, flashbacks, numbing, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, mood instability and other typical difficulties. Multiple RCTs with over 5000 participants have proven the efficacy of TF-CBT and EMDR.
TESTIMONIALS
“Getting to understand my ‘inner monkey’ and learning to control it really helped me stop making emotionally-driven decisions and I really believe helped me achieve the longest flights of my life in Brazil.”
“The change to my flying and enjoyment of our sport has been profound. Externally people have commented on the results I’ve achieved, and the difference in how I fly. Internally the shift has been far greater.”
CONTACT ME
Feel free to contact me regarding availability. This is a very part-time role, mainly helping to raise funds for The Cloudbase Foundation.
Coaching and CBT for Pilots 