Member Assistance Program
The health of our pilot members is of paramount concern to the AFAP. A pilot's career can be highly demanding with the potential for serious accidents or incidents. Maintaining good mental health is vital for optimising your performance as a pilot. To respond to the needs of our members we have the AFAP-exclusive Member Assistance Program (MAP) as part of our suite of health and wellbeing benefits that make up our welfare portfolio.
AFAP members and their families can call 1300 307 912 at any time for free, confidential counselling with a psychologist.
(If calling from outside Australia: +619 9388 9000)
WHAT IS MAP?
The MAP is a short-term counselling and advisory service for AFAP members and their immediate family to seek professional assistance for any personal or work related problems. The AFAP has engaged PeopleSense by Altius to provide a professional counselling service totally independent of your employer. MAP is designed to be flexible and responsive to what our members need, and the psychologists who deliver the counselling are trained in pilot specific issues. These sessions can be provided by telephone, on Skype or in person, depending on where you are based.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
As an AFAP member, you receive four free sessions for each issue. (This means you will not be limited to four sessions over your career.) If necessary, there may be provisions for further support and referral as needed.
WHEN SHOULD I USE MAP?
MAP services can be utilised for personal or work related issues, which might include common life events as relationship breakdown; bullying and harassment; disciplinary action at work; difficulty sleeping; depression; anxiety; and alcohol or substance abuse. You don’t have to be experiencing poor mental health to access MAP. You may just need someone to speak to confidentially about a personal or work issue.
Further to this, should you be involved in an accident or incident, MAP can provide a tailored critical incident response 24/7. Critical incident response is designed to provide psychological first aid which reduces traumatic responses and gets you confidently back in the air as soon as possible and feeling right.