Therapy for Pilots With Dr. Corinne Votaw-Freer

Dr. Corinne Votaw Freer

Flying is more than a job or a hobby—it’s an identity, a responsibility, and for many pilots, a lifelong dream. With that dream often comes pressure: to perform perfectly, to stay medically certified, to manage fatigue and irregular schedules, and to carry the quiet weight of “being the calm one” when everyone else looks to you.

For a lot of pilots, the thought of seeking mental health support brings up a very real fear: If I talk about how I feel, will it cost me my medical?

My work with pilots is designed to honor both your humanity and your career. I offer therapy that focuses on stress, performance, relationships, and emotional well-being—without requiring an official diagnosis unless you specifically need documentation for another purpose. We can focus on how you’re functioning and feeling, not on labeling you.

I am a licensed psychologist in 40 US States, and I’ve spent over 10 years working with pilots from a variety of aviation backgrounds. I also spent years as a pilot myself, so when you talk about checkride anxiety, crew dynamics, or the stress of “flying the line,” you don’t have to start with Aviation 101. I already understand the language, the stakes, and the culture you’re operating in.

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Why Therapy Designed for Pilots Matters

Pilots often carry a unique combination of stressors that most people simply don’t encounter:

High responsibility for safety and lives on every flight
Pressure to “hold it together” no matter what is happening internally
Irregular schedules, fatigue, and circadian disruption
Fear that acknowledging anxiety, depression, or trauma could jeopardize their medical certificate
Financial and identity concerns tied tightly to staying in the cockpit
Relationship strain at home due to travel, time away, or emotional shutdown

Standard therapy doesn’t always take these realities into account. In aviation-aware therapy, we actively consider your duties, regulations, cockpit culture, and long-term career goals while we work on your mental and emotional health.

You don’t have to choose between taking care of your mind and protecting your wings—we can do both thoughtfully and ethically.

No Official Diagnosis Required

One of the biggest barriers pilots face in seeking help is the belief that therapy automatically means “getting diagnosed.” In my practice:

We focus on your functioning, not on forcing a label.
We can work on stress, anxiety, low mood, performance concerns, or relationship issues without assigning a formal diagnosis unless there is a clear reason and you want it documented.
We can openly discuss your concerns about FAA medical evaluations and find ways to support you that align with your values and risk tolerance.

Therapy can be a place where you talk honestly about what’s going on inside the headset—the worries, irritability, fear of making a mistake, near-miss memories you can’t shake, or the pressure of training and checkrides—without feeling like you’re putting your career on the line every time you speak.

Issues Pilots Commonly Bring to Therapy

While every pilot is different, many of the aviators I’ve worked with over the past decade come in with themes like:

Performance anxiety (checkrides, sim rides, evaluations, or upgrades)
Persistent worry, “what if” thinking, and difficulty turning off their brain
Irritability, snapping at loved ones, or feeling emotionally numb
Strain in relationships due to time away, communication styles, or emotional shutdown
Fatigue, burnout, and questioning whether to stay in the industry
Stress around training environments, instructors, or past failures
Intrusive memories from incidents, close calls, or high-stress flights
Identity shifts related to career changes, medical loss, or retirement from flying

In therapy, we make space for all of this—without judgment and without assuming that “you must be broken” because you’re struggling. You are a human being doing a high-stakes job. Wanting support is a sign of responsibility, not weakness.

How Therapy for Pilots Can Help

Our work together is about helping you function better both in and out of the cockpit. Through a combination of evidence-based approaches tailored to your situation (including CBT, EMDR when appropriate, and performance psychology tools), therapy can help you:

Develop practical strategies for managing anxiety before, during, and after flights
Reduce rumination and overthinking so you can actually rest on your days off
Build healthier ways to handle stress, conflict, and emotional overload
Improve communication and connection with partners, family, or crew
Process high-stress events or close calls so they don’t keep replaying in your mind
Strengthen self-trust and confidence in your training and judgment
Navigate career decisions, transitions, or setbacks with more clarity and support

Therapy is not about turning you into a different person—it’s about helping you feel more grounded, present, and aligned with the kind of pilot and human you want to be.

What to Expect in Therapy for Pilots

I take a collaborative, practical, and aviation-informed approach. You won’t have to explain what a sim check is or why fatigue rules matter. We’ll jump right into what’s actually affecting you.

In working together, you can expect:

A thorough intake where we talk about your flying background, current stressors, and goals
Space to talk candidly about medical certificate concerns and how we can approach treatment in a way that feels safe to you
Tools and strategies tailored to your schedule, whether you’re on reserve, flying long-haul, instructing, or still in training
A balance of performance-focused work (how you function on the job) and deeper emotional work (how you’re actually feeling and why)

We will move at a pace that respects both your nervous system and your reality as a pilot—meaning we’ll be mindful of how intense sessions might land before a checkride, trip, or training block.

Getting Started: The Process

At my practice, I aim to provide a grounded, structured approach that still has room for the unique demands of flying life. Here’s what the process typically looks like:

Initial Evaluation

We begin with a comprehensive 90-minute evaluation appointment. This gives us time to understand your flying history, current life stressors, mental health concerns (if any), and what you’d like to get out of therapy. It’s also your opportunity to see how I work, ask questions about documentation, and clarify any concerns related to your aviation career.

Building the Foundation

Following the evaluation, we typically schedule a series of standard 50-minute therapy sessions. During this phase, we focus on:

Building trust and a working relationship where you can speak freely
Identifying patterns in how you handle stress, conflict, and performance pressure
Teaching and practicing tools you can use on the road, in the sim, or at home

This foundation ensures that when we move into deeper work—whether that’s processing a specific event, shifting long-standing beliefs, or preparing for a big transition—you feel supported and prepared.

Deeper Therapeutic Work

Once we’ve established a strong base, we may incorporate more focused approaches tailored to your needs. This might include:

Targeted work on checkride or performance anxiety
EMDR or other trauma-focused methods to address distressing memories or incidents
Structured problem-solving around relationships, scheduling, or burnout
Identity work around what it means to be a pilot—and who you are outside of flying

The specific tools we use will depend on your goals, comfort level, and what’s most helpful for you in real time.

Re-Evaluation and Ongoing Support

Over time, we regularly check in on your progress:

Are you sleeping better?
Is anxiety more manageable?
Are relationships feeling more connected?
Do you feel more steady and confident as you move through your flying life?

We’ll adjust the focus of therapy as needed—whether that means tapering sessions, shifting to maintenance support during a demanding training period, or diving deeper into new concerns that arise.

Throughout the process, my goal is for you to feel seen not just as a pilot, but as a person—and to leave therapy with tools, insight, and resilience that serve you both in the cockpit and at home.