Online Counselling for Pilots
Online Therapy for Pilots
Online Psychotherapy for Pilots
Professional pilots face unique pressures and stresses that few outside the aviation world can fully understand. The stakes are high: fitness to fly is monitored closely, and any medical, emotional, or psychological concern can put a career on hold.
For many pilots, this creates a culture of silence. Out of fear of losing medical certification and the ability to earn a living, issues are often kept under wraps. Unfortunately, this can lead to self-medication or waiting until a crisis forces action.
Why Pilots Struggle in Silence
Fear of disclosure – admitting to stress, anxiety, depression, or substance use feels risky when flying privileges are at stake.
Conservative culture – aviation environments often emphasise toughness, self-reliance, and stoicism, which can discourage vulnerability.
Medical licensing and restrictions – even when treatment options exist, the process of evaluating, treating, and getting medical clearance back can be slow, opaque, and anxiety-provoking.
Isolation & lack of understanding – who to talk to who really “gets it”? When you don’t feel understood, you may suffer in silence.
Chris’s Experience
Chris Graham knows these pressures firsthand. Before becoming a counsellor, he flew professionally in Canada for over 20 years. He understands the demands of the profession, the strict regulatory requirements, and the fear that comes when mental health, medical status, or other personal struggles threaten one’s fitness for duty.
Chris himself went through a year-long suspension while finding the right treatment, so he knows how disruptive, frightening, and surreal the experience can be—but also that recovery, clarity, and return are possible.
How Counselling Can Help
Here are the ways counselling can be especially useful for pilots, with Chris:
Confidential & safe space — A place where you do not need to explain all the jargon, regulation, or culture. You’ll be understood.
Proactive support — Rather than waiting for crisis, addressing stress, anxiety, or shame early can preserve wellbeing and career momentum.
Navigating medical/fitness concerns — Guidance through the emotional toll, fear, and uncertainty of medical/psychiatric evaluation or suspension.
Performance under pressure — Coping tools for fatigue, sleep disruption, judgment demands, long hours, irregular schedules, or the effects of travel.
Substance use & shame — Addressing use of alcohol, prescription meds, or other substances, especially when hidden; supporting you through recovery while maintaining professional integrity.
Relationship, identity & purpose — How being a pilot becomes interwoven with identity; what happens when that identity is threatened. Relationship strain at home or socially due to irregular hours, travel, psychological load.
What to Expect
When you work with Chris:
Free initial discussion – You’ll have a chance to talk through what’s happening, what you’re hoping for, and what your concerns are (including medical or licensing risks).
Tailored plan – Based on your situation: stress, sleep, regulatory concerns, mental health, substance use, or relationship issues.
Ongoing support – Keeping momentum, re-assessing as changes occur (medical review, changes in schedule, etc.).
Crisis readiness – In moments of acute stress or when “everything feels overwhelming,” having approaches in place so you don’t have to wait for things to get worse.
Confidentiality and Professional Risk
It’s natural to worry about what opening up could mean professionally. Chris is committed to:
Maintaining strict confidentiality, within legal/ethical limits.
Helping you understand what must be disclosed in medical/fitness-for-duty evaluations, and what stays private.
Supporting you in preparing for professional conversations or disclosures if/when those are required.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, worn out, stuck in a cycle of worry or shame, or already seeing changes in your performance or well-being, counselling can help you reclaim clarity, control, and peace of mind.
Whether you’re still flying or in a transition, whether the issues are big or small, you deserve to be heard, understood, and supported.
Schedule a Consultation — Chris offers a safe, confidential, non-judgmental space where the gravity of aviation life is known, not dismissed. If you’d like to explore what’s possible, reach out and we’ll take it from there.