Carine Lage
Asynchronous interview with Carine Vieira Lage, Psychologist and Helicopter Pilot, edited by the NoSeQueEstudiar team.
Clinical Psychologist | Commercial Helicopter Pilot | Former flight attendant with 20+ years in civil aviation
When aviation and psychology intersect, solutions emerge to fly safer – outside and inside.
Carine Lage combines her operational experience with psychological tools. She cares for the mental health of pilots, flight attendants, aviation students and passengers with fear of flying.
She is a leader in psychology applied to aviation with 20+ years of operational experience in cabin and cockpit. She combines her training in psychology with her experience as a pilot and flight attendant to:
- Serve industry professionals (pilots, crew members, controllers).
- Help passengers with fear of flying.
- Implement mental health protocols in airlines.
Key background:
- Helicopter Captain (CHC Helicopter, Omni Táxi Aéreo).
- Flight attendant (Rio Sul).
- Psychology graduate (Estácio).
Carine is the only professional in Latin America who combines operational experience in aviation with specialized clinical psychology.
Visual PDF summary of the interview with Carine Lage
Interview with Carine Lage
Transform mental health into a pillar of aviation safety.
Could you give a brief introduction and tell us about your professional career?
Carine: Hi, how are you?
My name is Carine Vieira Lage, I am a psychologist, helicopter pilot and former flight attendant. My professional path began in aviation. It was more than twenty years of flights, air operations, and many behind-the-scenes learnings in civil aviation.
But along the way I realized something: behind every uniform there is a person with fears, pressures, tiredness, doubts, and often no space to talk about it. I also flew for many years in aviation. I felt all those emotions.
And that was when psychology entered my life. I wanted to understand more about human beings and offer emotional support to those who spend most of their lives flying. Today, I combine these two areas —aviation and psychology— to take care of the mental health of pilots, flight attendants, aviation students, and passengers with a fear of flying.
Did you have a mentor or a key person who influenced your professional decisions?
Carine: I had a person who influenced my professional decisions: a high school teacher. He opened the doors for me to a world of possibilities. He used to say that we should not limit ourselves to what we see around us, that we can dream big, even if it seems far away, and that the world is full of doors that lead us to our dreams and destinies.
The secret is to discover which one is your door and learn to open it. It also taught me that each person has a different reality and, therefore, each path is unique. Even when a dream seems impossible, you only need strategy. With that idea, I decided to go into aviation and, later, with the same courage, into psychology.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying in your field?
Carine: If I could give one piece of advice to psychology students, I would say: learn to listen. True empathetic listening, without rushing and without judgment, is the psychologist's most powerful tool. Also, carry your story with you. Don't think you must leave your essence outside the career. If you come from another area or have a specific interest —like me with aviation—, use it. Psychology is a vast and welcoming field that can walk alongside your essence.
What skills do you think will be crucial in your area in the coming years?
Carine: I believe the crucial competencies for the coming years in this career will be three:
Understanding human factors, especially in high-performance careers like aviation.
Knowing how to integrate technology. Artificial intelligence is already part of our reality; use it as a tool.
Interdisciplinary communication. Psychology is increasingly present outside of offices —companies, hospitals, schools, and even in the sky—. This requires us to know how to dialogue with other areas.
After all, where there is a human being, you can apply psychology.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Carine: Finally, I would like to add that choosing a career goes beyond a degree: it is a way to contribute to the world. When I decided to care for the mental health of those who care for flights, passengers, and aviation safety, I found my purpose.
If I had to leave a message for those starting their path, it would be: don't be afraid to make different choices. Sometimes, at the intersection of two areas —like aviation and psychology— you find your differentiator. Psychology can be where you least imagine it, even inside the cockpit of an airplane or helicopter.
