Robert has been referred to you for counselling. He has recently started a new role as an executive for a large international company. The role involves some travel and this was made very clear to Robert when he accepted the position. Robert has a fear of flying but really wanted to work for the company and hoped he would be able to overcome his fear for the right role. However, he is now 3 months into the new job and so far has been trying to hide his fear from his colleagues, rescheduling site visits for later in the year or relying on other methods of travel wherever possible. At one point he even got as far as boarding a plane but was so overwhelmed with anxiety that he had to be escorted off the plane before take-off and told his colleagues that he had become ill at the airport.

This is becoming problematic for his business relationships as the sites interpret his behaviour as being disinterested or disconnected from the business goals and he is very concerned his career will suffer. What would you do to help Robert?