PB or not PBs

Ok, so here goes, my first post and it's in the form of a question which is:
"To PB or PBs?"
I have been thinking about this for a very long time now and it became even more interesting for me when writing bits for my own website and for PBPeople.org.uk.

For me PB People sounds more fluid than PBs People - I guess that's the aesthetic part of me speaking.
And cognitively, I rationalise that I am abbreviating the words 'Protective Behaviours' so using the first letter of each word leads me to PB and not PBs.

I am also aware that I would describe myself as a PB Trainer rather than a PBs Trainer. But, up until very recently I tended to say the PBs process rather than the PB process.

So far on the website we have tried go for consistency although the odd 's' might have crept in - 'old habits are hard to shake off'. One thing though is very clear for me and that is it is definitely not PB's especially if this is used to suggest ownership for the process is free and for everyone. Thank you to all those who made this possible.

I agree with all your examples of use of PB and PBs above. I think PBPeople is certainly the name I prefer for the website. I too would describe myself as a PB trainer but during training talk about the PBs process and indeed write 'The tools for putting PBs into practice' alongside the '7 strategies' title page. So I have to admit to being inconsistent, and for a pedant like me you may think that's a problem...but it isn't! I say and write what I feel flows best at the time...and I am not sure it matters
I absolutely do not like PB's - it is grammatically incorrect and I am not an advocate of dropping the apostrophe, I just like it used in the right places!

Sounds like that's where what feels right comes in and if we can acknowledge why people sometimes see PB or PBs that's got to increase the quality of the interaction, clarity, shared meaning and ownership, (I like to reflect on why I'm doing something the way I am although in the early days of being a PB Person I must admit to thinking to myself 'because Di says so!'
Really looking forward to hearing what others think too.

For me too, the use of PB or PBs depends on the flow of the text and what feels right. I stopped using PB's a while ago when I decided it didn't seem to make sense grammatically and looked visually confusing. These posts got me thinking there might be a grammatical logic behind what flowed and felt right and what didn't. The following may need an English language specialist to clarify however I will have a go and leave it for anyone else who feels like it to tidy up.

I think the name Protective Behaviours is a proper noun by definition if not through common use. Where Protective Behaviours functions as a proper noun, and as the object of a verb, the abbreviation PBs flows well, e.g. using PBs, training PBs discovering PBs etc. Equally as the subject of a verb PBs also seems to flow, e.g. PBs is, PBs covers, PBs clarifies etc.

However in communication Protective Behaviours can also function as an adjective in which case the abbreviation PB tends to fit well, e.g. PB people, PB trainer, PB consistent etc. With regard to the use of PB's Protective Behaviours is a plural noun so the abbreviation PB’s doesn't seem to make sense grammatically. If an apostrophe were required, it would be positioned after the s of Protective Behaviours' and not before it e.g. PBs’. An argument might be made for this e.g. Protective Behaviours' (PBs') principles or concepts as these could be seen as principles or concepts belonging to Protective Behaviours. If Peg West had called the PB process Protective Behaviour then arguably, this might be considered a collective noun and an apostrophe placed between the r and the s would in some contexts appear grammatically correct e.g. Protective Behaviour's (PB's).

A final thought is that where abbreviations are made in English sometimes letters are substituted with an apostrophe e.g. received can be abbreviated to rec'd however I think it is probably a fair stretch of the imagination to apply this to the abraviation of the name Protective Behaviours ie PB's

PB, PBs and PBs' may all be appropriate in specific grammatical contexts and before losing the will to live I am mindful of Di Margetts' KISS principle, 'Keep It Simple Sweetheart'. Personally, I prefer PB and PBs and use them in the way that feels right at the time and perhaps the absence of EWS might be an indicator of which to use and where.

Amazing! Although some of this may well be lost on me bearing in mind both my primary & secondary school education left rather a lot to be desired and I only discovered that the term verb existed when I studied a foreign language. BUT the great thing is that a question I've wanted to ask and discuss for about the last 10 years has been made clearer for me. (I dread to think how long it might have taken if we'd tried to do it at a typical trainer's meeting). What a great indicator of the strengths of a forum.

Absolutely agree. This is the first time I have used a forum and the process seems really consistent with the 'Thinking Environment, Brief Solution Focused Therapy and PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS ... processes where people have time to listen, think and reflect, speak and feel listened to.