With psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy showing promise as potential treatments for mental health conditions, skilled facilitators who can provide therapy for patients and in clinical trials is vital.
Around one in six adults in England, UK and one in five adults in the US are living with a mental health condition. To add to this, around 30% of people with major depressive disorder do not respond to current pharmaceutical treatments such as SSRI’s and traditional talking and cognitive therapies.
With this desperate need for innovation in mental health care, there has been a blossoming of interest in psychedelic compounds as possible alternative treatments.
The growing number of psychedelic clinical research, trials and academic centres for psychedelic research has increased the demand for therapists who are experienced in the delivery of psychedelic care, leading to the creation of an array of educational and training courses.
Courses that are now available focus on the likes of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, medical psychedelics education and integrative therapy, for example, and provide counsellors with the opportunity to become certified psychedelic practitioners.
Here is just a selection of courses that are currently available.
MAPS
MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been designated by the FSA as a Breakthrough Therapy, and The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelics (MAPS) has spearheaded much of the research around MDMA.
Whilst the organisation also researches psychedelics such as ibogaine and ayahuasca, its work with MDMA is globally recognised as leading in the field, and the organisation has created a manual for the delivery of MDMA-assisted therapy along with a Code of Ethics for Psychedelic Psychotherapy.
MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program covers the theory, skills and practice of MDMA-assisted therapy and offers the opportunity for scholarships.
To learn about this course please visit: https://mapspublicbenefit.com/training
The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
CIIS offers a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at its Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research.
The CIIS states that the course emphasises the therapeutic models of psychedelic research while also addressing the philosophy and theory from other scholarly traditions, with the course curriculum being developed by Janis Phelps, Director of the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, in collaboration with clinicians and researchers in the field of psychedelic healthcare.
To learn about this course please visit: https://www.ciis.edu/research-centers/center-for-psychedelic-therapies-and-research/about-the-certificate-in-psychedelic-assisted-therapies-and-research
COMPASS Pathways
COMPASS pathways is a leading company in the field of psychedelic research, focusing on the likes of using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of resistant depression.
The company’s therapist training programme has been designed by leading experts and was used to train therapists taking part in its Phase 2b clinical trial of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
The training consists of 10+ hours of online learning, five days of interactive learning, clinical training while supporting participants in at least four psilocybin research sessions and continuous professional development.
To learn about this course please visit: https://compasspathways.com/our-work/therapist-training/
Psychedelics Today
Psychedelics Today’s course, Navigating Psychedelics: Lessons on Self-Care & Integration, offers learners the opportunity to gain a variety of knowledge on psychedelics.
Aspects of the course cover substance testing for improved safety, different approaches to psychedelic use such as microdosing and ceremonial use, how to handle difficult psychedelic experiences, personal integration and more.
To learn about this course please visit: https://psychedelicstoday.com/online-courses/
Fluence
Education platform, Fluence, offers professional education in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and integration.
It states that its programmes have been designed for licensed professionals and advanced graduate students, with some classes and programmes reserved for licensed clinicians. The platform offers students the option to purchase an APA CE and/or CME certificate.
All of Fluence’s training is delivered “independently and in collaboration with a variety of clinics, conferences, private practices, non-profit associations, retreat centres, and psychedelic research sponsors.”
To learn about this course please visit: https://www.fluencetraining.com/
Institute of Psychedelic Therapy
The Institute of Psychedelic Therapy offers a two-year psychedelic-assisted therapist training programme.
The training will provide participants with the opportunity to develop the skills to become safe and compassionate psychedelic practitioners, and graduates of the course will become professional members of the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy.
The first cohort for the course will complete in December 2023 and the next cycle will start in March 2024.
The Institute requests that, in order to be eligible for the course, applicants must have completed a clinical or therapeutic training of some kind and be registered with an accountable body.
To learn more about this course please visit: https://instituteofpsychedelictherapy.org/course-outline/
MIND Foundation
The MIND Foundation – a European non-profit science and education organisation promoting psychedelic research and therapy – is offering professional training for aspiring psychedelic therapists.
The organisation’s two-year Augmented Psychotherapy Training (APT) programme is directed at medical doctors, psychotherapists, and complementary mental health professionals and covers the skills needed to practice psychedelic-augmented psychotherapy and psychedelic integration therapy.
To find out more about this course please visit: https://mind-foundation.org/apt/
