Psychology has been crucial to flight safety from the earliest days of civil and military aviation. The importance of psychology to flight safety and crew mental health and wellbeing has taken on greater significance since 2015, where there have been well-publicised incidents and accidents directly and indirectly related to crew mental health and wellbeing. It is now an EASA requirement that airlines provide peer support for crew to support mental health and wellbeing, undertake psychological evaluations of new entrant pilots, and also for AME’s to develop their mental health assessment skills. This course will equip qualified mental health practitioners (e.g. licenced/registered psychologists, psychiatrists, AME’s, mental health nurses, among others) with the relevant insights, knowledge and skills to work in a safety-critical industry and to be mindful of the unique and specific issues and challenges to do so.

The course is endorsed by the European Association for Aviation Psychology and counts as a full credit for professional learning.

When combined with the university’s Basic Course in Aviation Medicine, completing it will have gained the broadest foundational insights and skills into the practice and application of aviation medicine and aerospace psychology.

Key benefits

• World-class learning delivered at a central London location (with future options for online and bespoke courses taught abroad).
• The course is recognised by the European Association for Aviation Psychology and meets their requirements for a full course credit.
• Teaching by internationally recognised experts in the field, attached to the Centre for Aviation Psychology.
• Addresses the unique and specific context of a safety-critical environment and how mental health practitioners can engage with the Safety Management System and improve aviation safety.

The course will cover 10 general and specialist topics relating to contemporary aerospace psychology, and the application of specific skills relating to the promotion of mental health and wellbeing and improving safety.

Topics include:

• Introduction to international aviation and aerospace psychology
• Specific and unique requirements and challenges of working in a safety-critical setting
• Psychological assessments of air crew, crew standards and reporting
• Pathways, requirements and challenges relating to the assessment of depression, ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder
• Neuropsychological themes in aerospace psychology
• Case studies in psychological assessment and neuropsychological assessment
• Pilot peer support and the role of the mental health practitioner
• Psychological factors in air accident investigations
• Airline passenger behaviour and related challenges (fear of flying, air rage etc.)
• Professional practice standards including confidentiality, actions and protocols for managing safety-critical situations and liaison with aviation medical examiners etc.

There are five main learning outcomes:

• Understand the air crew working environment
• Understand the regulatory context for crew licensing especially relating to mental health
• Gain insight into the mental health issues that generally affect air crew and may – or may not be - job specific
• Learning about the methods of and limitations of crew psychological assessments and reporting to aviation medical examiners and national regulators
• Understand practitioner and psychotherapeutic issues when working with air crew and others in their primary social context

The course is primarily taught by Professor Robert Bor, a registered and practicing Clinical, Counselling and Health Psychologist in the UK, and also a certified Aviation Psychologist in Europe and Dr Alastair Gray, an accredited aviation psychologist.

There will be contributions from leading specialists and subject matter experts, as well as a presentation from an airline pilot.

This course is primarily aimed at qualified and registered mental health practitioners worldwide who are working in or anticipate working in aerospace settings and/or with aircrew.

Given that the focus is on mental health and wellbeing, the course will mostly appeal to clinical, counselling, occupational, health, and research psychologists, as well as those working in human factors and flight safety. Psychiatrists and mental health nurses may also benefit from the course.

The course is also open to aviation medical examiners and related medical practitioners, as well as those from aviation regulatory bodies. Counsellors and psychotherapists working in safety critical contexts or with professionals employed in these settings may also benefit from the course.

The course is not suited to students or trainees in these related professions. This is because the course assumes a professional registration and some career experience with the issues and challenges of working with patients/clients, within organisations and as well as professional accountability recognition of one’s limitations.

All teaching and the final exam is in English. There is no formal language requirement for this course but an IELTS score of 5 or higher is strongly recommended for applicants whose first language is not English.

Inquiries are welcome from persons who may be interested in the course, and individual experience, circumstances and motivation will be considered. 

Participants will be expected to complete all of the lectures, after which they will receive a King's College London certificate of completion.