FAA Medical Consultation — Know Before You Go | The Aviation Therapist & Coach

Available Nationwide

FAA Medical Consultation

Know Before You Walk Into That AME's Office.

“Most disqualifications are paperwork failures, not medical failures.”

If you have a mental health history and a medical exam coming up, walking in unprepared is the single biggest mistake you can make. This consultation reviews your specific situation, clarifies your obligations on Form 8500-8, and maps your best path forward — before you sit across from an AME.

Book a Consultation FAA Medical Guide

Consultation Pricing

Phone or Virtual — Nationwide

30-Minute ConsultationSituation review + Form 8500-8 guidance

$100

50-Minute ConsultationDeep dive + pathway planning

$195

50-Min Consult + Record ReviewIncludes review of your clinical documentation

$275

Informational consultation only — not psychotherapy or medical treatment. Not covered by insurance. No diagnosis made.

Available to pilots
nationwide

Consultation
tiers available

8500

Form expertise
Question 18 focus

PhD

Aviation-informed
licensed psychologist

What the Consultation Covers

More Than a Phone Call. A Strategic Review.

Each consultation is tailored to your specific history, your upcoming exam, and your certificate class. The goal is one thing: ensure you show up prepared.

📋

Form 8500-8 Guidance

Walk through Question 18 and your medical history with an aviation-informed clinician. Know exactly what you’re required to disclose, what you aren’t, and how your answers will likely be interpreted by the FAA.

🗺️

Pathway Planning

Understand where you stand in the regulatory landscape — whether you’re a Fast Track candidate, looking at a Special Issuance, or dealing with a HIMS referral. We map your specific path before you set foot in an AME's office.

📑

Documentation Review

For the 50-min + record review tier: we examine your existing clinical records and evaluate whether they’re formatted to support your application or inadvertently work against you.

🔍

Condition-Specific Clarity

Depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, past substance history, prior Special Issuances — each condition has its own regulatory pathway. You’ll leave knowing exactly where yours stands.

⚠️

Denial Recovery Planning

Already received a deferral or denial? A denial typically means insufficient documentation, not a permanent disqualification. We identify what the FAA is actually asking for and build a response plan.

💊

Medication Guidance

Understand which medications are FAA-approved, which trigger automatic deferral, how the SSRI Special Issuance pathway works, and how to discuss medication history with your AME without unnecessary risk.

Who Should Book This

If Any of These
Describe You,
Don’t Go In Cold.

📅

Medical Renewal Coming Up You have a history of mental health treatment and your next AME visit is within the next 60 days. Now is the time to understand your obligations and prepare your documentation.
💊

Currently or Recently on Medication You're on or recently discontinued an antidepressant, stimulant, or other psychiatric medication and are unsure what this means for your medical application.
📂

Received a Deferral or Denial The FAA has deferred your application or issued a denial. You need to understand what they’re requesting, what evaluations are required, and what the recovery path looks like.
🤔

Avoiding Treatment Out of Fear You’re struggling but haven’t sought help because you’re afraid of what it will do to your medical. A consultation often reveals that getting help is far safer than avoiding it.

How It Works

The Consultation Process

Three steps from booking to clarity. No referrals, no waiting rooms, no unnecessary complexity.

Book & Prepare

Select your consultation tier and complete a brief intake form outlining your medical history and current situation. For record review consultations, submit your documentation in advance.

Phone or Video Consult

Dr. Powell reviews your history and walks through your FAA obligations, regulatory pathway, documentation gaps, and recommended next steps — specific to your situation, not generic answers.

Walk Away with a Plan

You leave the session with a clear picture of where you stand, what the FAA needs from you, and exactly what to do before your AME appointment. No surprises. No guessing.

Consultation Options

Select the Right Tier

Choose based on how complex your situation is and how much runway you have before your AME visit.

Introductory

30-Minute Consultation

^$100

Best for pilots with a straightforward situation who need clarity on one or two specific questions about Form 8500-8 or their disclosure obligations.

Most Comprehensive

50-Minute Consultation

^$195

Full situation review, Form 8500-8 walkthrough, condition-specific regulatory analysis, and pathway planning. The right choice for most pilots with a complex or multi-faceted history.

Full Review

50-Min + Record Review

^$275

Includes everything in the 50-minute tier plus a pre-session review of your existing clinical documentation. Best for pilots preparing for a Special Issuance or responding to a deferral.

Consultations are not covered by insurance. Payment is direct and private — no claims filed, no secondary disclosure. This is an informational consultation, not a clinical evaluation or psychotherapy session.

What the FAA Actually Wants

The Documentation That
Makes the Difference

Pilots who are denied a medical certificate are often denied because of documentation failures, not because their condition actually disqualifies them. The FAA doesn’t want a stack of raw therapy notes — they want a structured, clinician-authored summary that directly addresses aeromedical safety.

“The FAA does not ban therapy. The FAA bans unmanaged mental health.”

If your consultation reveals that documentation is the missing piece, Dr. Powell can produce the clinician-authored summary the FAA is looking for — framing your resilience, your proactive steps, and your fitness to fly.

Book a Consultation

✓

Clear Diagnosis & History Exact dates of onset, specific symptoms, and diagnostic criteria met — or explicitly stating why criteria are not met

✓

Treatment Modality Type of therapy used, session frequency, and compliance history

✓

Medication Status Dosages, side effects (specifically noting absence of aeromedically significant ones), and prescribing physician notes

✓

Current Status & Prognosis Objective statement on current functioning — specifically addressing cognitive clarity, decision-making, and emotional stability

✓

Aeromedical Safety Assessment Direct clinician statement on fitness to fly — the framing the FAA is trained to look for

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What pilots ask before booking a consultation.

Can I be a pilot if I have anxiety or depression?+

Possibly, yes — and often yes. Anxiety and depression are not automatically disqualifying. What matters is whether the condition is well-managed, what medication (if any) you're taking, and how it’s been documented. The FAA grants Special Issuances for these conditions routinely when the paperwork supports it. A consultation clarifies exactly where your specific situation falls.

What SSRIs are approved by the FAA?+

The FAA currently allows pilots to fly on four specific SSRIs: sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), and citalopram (Celexa) through the SSRI Special Issuance pathway, provided the pilot has been stable on the medication for a minimum of 90 days. This consultation covers the specifics of your medication situation, including how to initiate the pathway if you’re not already on it.

Does marriage counseling go on my FAA medical?+

Generally, no — but it depends on whether a mental health diagnosis was made during the course of that counseling. Therapy for situational stress, relationship issues, or grief without a disqualifying diagnosis is typically not grounding and often does not require complex reporting. The nuance matters, and this consultation walks through your specific history.

Can the FAA access my medical records?+

The FAA has the authority to cross-reference certain databases — including the VA, the National Driver Register, and Social Security Administration records — as part of the medical certification process. They can also request your records from providers when you apply. Falsifying Form 8500-8 is a federal crime. Getting caught concealing a managed condition is far worse than disclosing it properly.

What is a HIMS AME and do I need one?+

A HIMS (Human Intervention Motivation Study) AME is a specially designated Aviation Medical Examiner trained to work with pilots who have substance use histories or who are on monitored SSRI pathways. Not all pilots need a HIMS AME. A consultation determines whether your situation requires a HIMS referral or can be handled through a regular AME.

How long does a Special Issuance take?+

The timeline varies based on condition complexity, documentation completeness, and FAA processing volume. Fast Track pathway cases can be resolved same-day with the right paperwork in hand. Full Special Issuance cases through Oklahoma City can take 30–120+ days. The single most important factor in timeline is having complete, properly formatted documentation ready before your AME appointment.

Don’t Walk In Unprepared

Know Your Path Before
You Face the AME.

A single consultation can be the difference between a same-day issuance and a months-long deferral. Book yours and walk in prepared.

Book a Consultation Read the Full FAA Guide

Confidential · Nationwide · Aviation-Informed

Consultation Disclosure

FAA Medical Consultations are informational in nature and do not constitute psychotherapy, medical treatment, or psychological evaluation. Participation in a consultation does not create a therapist-client relationship. Dr. Powell does not serve as an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) and cannot issue medical certificates or grant Special Issuances. All FAA medical certification decisions are made solely by the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division or designated AMEs. Information shared during consultations is treated with the same professional discretion as clinical services; however, coaching and consultation communications may not carry the same legal protections as psychotherapy.