Anything where you would value talking to a peer. This may cover topics such as:
your psychological well being;
life stressors and changes;
relationship problems;
fatigue;
work/life balance;
bereavement (trauerfall);
sim check worries;
work pressures;
colleague concerns;
career options;
financial problems;
health concerns;
etc.
The trained peers are there for you and your well being as a person. While they cannot act on your behalf, provide expert opinion, advice or even ‘fix’ your problem, what makes them especially qualified is that they understand what its like to work in our industry.
They have all had further/advanced training in listening and supporting people and they in turn are supported by a team of psychologists.
They are willing to listen to you, understand your challenges and help you figure it out (or at least point you in the right direction).
All European and UK airlines are required to demonstrate how they are looking after the mental wellbeing of their pilots. As a consequence there are now several Peer Support Programmes (PSPs) delivered by pilots for their pilot colleagues. We have our own world leading programme, LSPAN, which is managed by CAP on behalf of Norse. It is staffed by their wide network of trained pilot peers and in due course we will train our own Norse pilot peers, giving our pilots the option to use peers internal or external to the company.
(It is important to emphasise that the peers are very skilled listeners and do so confidentially and without judgement.)
Currently, the trained peers do not work for Norse - which has the benefit of preserving anonymity and confidentiality. While they may work elsewhere, they are all pilots and contracted directly with and managed by the Centre for Aviation Psychology (CAP). They come well recommended which is based on their training, experience in other PSPs, and most importantly, user recommendations. Given that they are working, line pilots they understand the pressures facing pilots employed in busy and pressurised operations and the importance of confidentiality.
In due course, peers from within Norse will be trained to become peers and pilots will have the option of selecting a peer internal or external to the airline.
Like most things, it is better to deal with problems and talk to others before they start to boil over.
Things needn’t get to a crisis point before you contact us. In fact, the sooner you do, the better we can support you.
Occasionally though, life can feel especially tough and overwhelming - and as a peer support network, that is what we are here for.
Once you have requested contact you will receive an email/text message confirming your contact request.
The first Peer Volunteer to pick it up, will either text or email you (whichever preference you indicated) and arrange a suitable time to talk on the phone.
The initial conversation will be to understand how we can best help you - or which direction to point you in.
You may have a specific request for guidance or information, or you may be seeking support on a particular challenge you are facing.
Either way, we are here for you.
It is always better for people themselves to make contact with this service. However, sometimes they are too fearful to do so, or have lost perspective on the impact that this is having on their performance or those they work with. If you believe that their situation has an immediate safety implication, then you are obliged to act directly and contact your line manager or pilot helpline.
However, if you believe the impact is more ‘slow burning’, cumulative or may put a less experienced or assertive colleague in a potentially difficult position, then we suggest discussing this through with a peer.
To summarise, this is not about 'reporting' your colleague, this is about discussing it with a trained peer and together working out what your best course of action is.
Having read this and find you still have concerns, contact us anyway: that is what we are here for!
No, as a peer support programme we are not set up to deal with emergencies. While we treat all contact requests within the timeframes that are offered, we can not respond to time critical emergencies.
If you think that your own (or someone else’s) safety is in immediate danger, please contact the emergency services and/or your duty operations manager.
If something isnt working for you, the only way we can fix it is if you let us know. Please direct your complaint to us (support@centreforaviationpsychology.com) and be assured that we will deal with it in a discrete and appropriate manner.
Equally, if you would rather direct it elsewhere, please send your complaint to the Head of Flight Operations or your your pilot union/association.