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Ketamine Assisted Therapy Training for Clinicians

Ketamine Assisted Therapy Training for Clinicians

Starting At:
$2100.00

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Over 15,000 students taught
Psychedelic Support has enrolled over 15,000 students in our free and paid courses! All proceeds from our paid courses have gone into funding more education and resources for the public around safe and ethical use of psychedelics in therapy and harm reduction.
Training Description

Learn the principles and procedures of Ketamine Assisted Therapy in this six module training with the Polaris Insight Center. You will acquire the skills necessary to administer ketamine in combination with psychotherapy in a clinical setting. The curriculum is taught by an experienced and knowledgeable faculty of ketamine and MDMA protocols through live video sessions. The format is interactive between trainers and students. This training program is designed for mental health professionals - physicians, psychologists, therapists, nurses, social workers, etc.

Polaris Insight Center is dedicated to the ethical and compassionate clinical use of ketamine-assisted and psychedelic-assisted, psychotherapy. We share a deep interest in, and a broad range of experience working with, the psychotherapeutic potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness and are committed to the integration of alternative and traditional methods psychotherapy.

The founding members are all MAPS trained clinicians who have participated in both phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Polaris faculty have trained at the Ketamine Training Center and KRIYA Institute.

Training Curriculum

 

Module 1: Introduction to Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

 

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) has recently emerged as one of the most innovative treatments for depression, particularly treatment resistant depression (TRD), and shows promise as well in treating anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychological conditions. Integrating pharmacological, psychological, and archetypal/transpersonal elements, KAP represents a new synthesis (or hybrid model) of psychotherapy. Empirical results, particularly during the past decade, demonstrate that ketamine and KAP may be able to assist clinical populations whose symptoms and psychological issues have not been responsive to treatment by other means. At the same time, KAP holds promise for effective treatment of individuals with end of life anxiety, existential distress and less severe diagnoses. 

 

The practice of KAP, including diverse dosing strategies, allows clinicians to craft intervention strategies at both the psycholytic (trance, self-reflective) and psychedelic (transformational/transpersonal) levels of experience. This short introductory course will cover a wide range of topics to help clinicians understand the potential use and efficacy of KAP as well as other psychedelic medicines and will present the current state of the art clinical models for these treatments. Recent promising lines of research in the field will also be briefly covered. 

 

After completing Module 1, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the various dosing strategies and routes of administration.
  • Explain the difference between infusion treatment and KAP and the pros and cons of each modality.
  • Describe three side effects of ketamine and how they are managed.
  • Describe and summarize the three main elements of the KAP protocol and their place and value in the treatment process: preparation, experiential, and integration.
  • Explain and describe the difference between psycholytic and psychedelic treatment processes.
  • Describe three of the significant controversies in the field of KAP and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.

 

Module 2: Intermediate Workshop I on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

 

In this workshop, we focus on several key clinical issues and relevant themes in this treatment protocol, including: Introduction to somatic psychotherapy and KAP, implementing principles and techniques of transpersonal psychology, understanding the unique transference challenges of KAP, improving individualized treatment based on case study presentations, participating in an experiential using KAP set and setting elements, music, and breakout groups for integration work.

 

After completing Module 2, participants will be able to:

  • Describe two ways in which somatic interventions can support and facilitate self-regulation of the nervous system.
  • Describe two of the major contributions of transpersonal psychology to the development of clinical protocols for KAP and psychedelic assisted psychotherapies.
  • Describe the differences between integrative and disintegrative altered state experiences that patients may express in the transference.
  • List three elements of set and setting considerations in KAP.
  • Describe one cultural dynamic that may arise in KAP.
  • Describe one countertransference dynamic that may arise in KAP.
     

Module 3: Intermediate Workshop II on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

 

In this workshop, we focus on several key clinical issues and relevant themes in this treatment protocol, including: ethical issues in KAP, work with countertransference in KAP, collaboration with outside providers of KAP clients, implementation of virtual KAP, implementation of group KAP, broad strokes overview of and integration of spiritual experiences. Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.
 

After completing Module 3, participants will be able to:

  • List three of the common countertransference polarities therapists need to be aware of in working with KAP. 
  • List two of the countransference challenges that can arise for therapists in KAP.
  • List three screening criteria for membership in KAP groups.
  • Describe two challenges to collaboration with an outside therapist.
  • Describe two reasons why a patient may not be a good candidate for virtual KAP treatment. 
  • List two challenges of integrating spiritual experiences in KAP. 

 

Module 4: Intermediate Workshop III on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

 

In this workshop, we focus on special topics in KAP, including: attachment patterns and working with  issues in KAP, exploring the relationship of substance misuse and trauma, and working with issues of substance misuse using KAP. We will focus on understanding advanced topics in KAP integration, and the possibility of using KAP in the treatment of trauma and PTSD.

 

After completing Module 4, participants will be able to:

  • Describe two ways in which avoidant attachment patterns can be addressed in KAP. 
  • Describe two ways in which trauma can emerge in a KAP session. 
  • Describe two steps that a KAP clinic can take to help mitigate the risk of ketamine addiction. 
  • Describe two primary ways in which the history of trauma changed the mental health field after 1980. 
  • List three commonly occurring obstacles that might arise in KAP integration sessions. 
  • Describe two problems that might arise if therapists do not spend time helping clients integrate their KAP experiences.

 

Module 5: Intermediate Workshop IV on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy


In this workshop, we focus on special topics in KAP, including: working with diverse populations, embodying cultural humility, and weaving social justice and health equity in KAP at the personal, interpersonal, and collective levels. We will be identifying various challenging situations that can arise in KAP, exploring advanced perspectives and applications of somatic psychotherapy in KAP, and discussing self-care, consultation, and continuing education recommendations for therapists working in the field of psychedelic medicine.


After completing Module 5, participants will be able to:

  • Define Liberation Psychology and identify ways to weave the philosophy and practice into your work.
  • Identify areas of personal and interpersonal growth toward holding safe psychedelic spaces with clients who identity as BIPOC, LGBTQI+ and other oppressed or marginalized groups. 
  • Describe two ways in which somatic interventions can support and facilitate self-regulation of the nervous system.
  • Name two types of somatic energy release during KAP sessions.
  • Describe two ways in which the therapist’s anxiety can interfere with effectively helping clients to navigate challenging psychedelic experiences.
  • List two professional activities that a psychotherapist can engage in to improve their competency around working with psychedelics therapeutically.
     

 

Practice Module: Training and Practice of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

 

In this workshop, our focus is on helping clinicians develop clinical skills needed for KAP. Clinicians will learn how to implement principles of KAP in practice, respond to common questions and challenges that can arise during KAP, gain experience playing therapist and patient in KAP, and have opportunities to observe and discuss in dyadic/triadic work with live supervision. Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.

 

After completing the Practice Module, participants will be able to:

  • Describe two interventions that help create physical and emotional safety before, during, and after a ketamine therapy session.
  • Describe two clinical interventions for facilitating memory of a non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) experience.
  • Explain a mindfulness/relaxation/breathing method that can be used to assist patients with anxiety and easing entry into NOSC
  • List two emergency interventions for KAP.
  • Describe two effective strategies or interventions to use with challenging emotional and spiritual experiences that might arise during a ketamine session.
  • List two important follow-up methods and questions to ensure effective integration is taking place following a KAP session.

 

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.
 

Meet your Training Instructors:
Veronika Gold, LMFT
Instructor (modules 1-5)
Veronika is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma. She is a Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Certified EMDR therapist, Consultant, and Facilitator, and Realization Process Teacher. She has undergone multiple trainings in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including advanced training through the Ketamine Training Center and Kriya Institute, and MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training through MAPS, and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, a supervisor and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for the treatment-resistant PTSD. She regularly presents at conferences and teaches on trauma and psychedelic-assisted therapies. Veronika is a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Veronika Gold, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Polaris Insight Center
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Instructor (modules 1-3, 5)
Eric is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating chronic pain, mood disorders, and trauma. He has undergone training in KAP through the Ketamine Training Center and in MDMA-Assisted Therapy through the MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials for treatment-resistant PTSD. He presents at conferences regularly on topics such as set and setting, ethics, integration, working with expansive states of consciousness, and music in psychedelic therapy. Eric is a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Eric Sienknecht, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Polaris Insight Center
Harvey Schwartz, PhD
Instructor (modules 1-5)
Harvey is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, as well as patients with spiritual and therapy-related trauma. He has undergone advanced Ketamine-Assisted Therapy training through the Ketamine Training Center and the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training Program and is currently a Sub-Investigator and Co-therapist, a supervisor and a trainer on the MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trials. In his clinical work and consultation, he synthesizes relational psychodynamic, archetypal, existential, and mindfulness perspectives. He has worked on advancing the theory and practice of integration in psychedelic therapies. Harvey is the training director and a lead trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Harvey Schwartz, PhD
Psychologist
Polaris Insight Center
Chris Stauffer, MD
Instructor (module 4)
Chris is an assistant professor at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), psychiatrist and addiction medicine physician and uses a holistic and collaborative approach informed by attachment theory. Chris has served as a therapist for clinical trials using oxytocin, MDMA, and psilocybin in combination with individual and group psychotherapy.
Chris Stauffer, MD
Assistant Professor
Oregon Health & Science University
Steve Rosonke, MD
Instructor (modules 1, 4)
After medical school and a residency in Emergency Medicine, Steve completed a Trauma and Critical Care fellowship at the Shock Trauma Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. In caring for his patients, Steve has embraced not only conventional medicine but mind-body medicine, psychology, neuroscience, meditation, spirituality, personal transformation, and trauma recovery.
Steve Rosonke, MD
Physician
Rainfall Medicine
Ryan Hoffman, LMFT
Ryan has dedicated his therapeutic practice to working with anxiety, depression and relationships challenges. He has developed a passion for working with the expanded states of consciousness that arise through psychedelics. Ryan’s approach to therapy is inspired by a number of modalities including transpersonal, existential, humanistic, somatic and EMDR.
Ryan Hoffman, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Polaris Insight Center
Robert Voloshin, DO
Dr. Voloshin completed his Psychiatry Residency at The University of New Mexico where I spent an additional year of fellowship training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has served as a study physician/therapist at UNM for a clinical trial investigating the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of alcohol-use disorder. He has pursued extensive psychotherapy training in various modalities including Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi. His approach to Psychiatry and Therapy includes an emphasis on family systems theory, developmental psychology, psychedelic psychotherapy, nutrition, mind-¬body approaches, and reconnection to the earth and community.
Robert Voloshin, DO
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Insight Psychiatry
Frank Ehrenfried, LMFT
Frank focuses on combining neuroscience-informed trauma modalities with psychedelics. His intention with this cross-over is to help amplify and ground the powerful healing capabilities of expansive states of consciousness. With the potential to facilitate the profound transpersonal and mystical experience. Integrating mindfulness, the body and depth psychology, EMDR therapy, he weaves together a creative and practical roadmap towards healing. He has undergone KAP training through Ketamine Training Center and MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training through MAPS. Frank is a trainer in the Polaris Insight Training Program.
Frank Ehrenfried, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Polaris Insight Center
Devon Cortright, PsyD
Devon graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He currently works at Polaris Insight Center, under the supervision of Harvey Schwartz, PhD. He offers ketamine assisted psychotherapy. In addition, he offers psychotherapy to adults, couples, families, and adolescents. He helps with the Polaris and Rainfall Certificate in Ketamine Assisted-Psychotherapy Training Program.
Devon Cortright, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Polaris Insight Center
Renee Razzano, LCSW
Renee specializes in trauma and recovery and embraces psychedelic-assisted therapies like KAP to facilitate growth and connectedness. She works with couples and individuals to enhance their ability to feel more of their aliveness, to increase resilience, and to be in an ongoing process of integration and expansion. Her approach draws from yoga philosophy, movement science, neuroscience, social work, social justice, and indigenous food and plant healing traditions and weaves together somatic and mystical facets of psychotherapy. She has trained as a touch therapist in Relational Somatic Healing, which focuses on healing developmental trauma. Renee leads integration groups in the Polaris Insight Training Program and teaches about ethics in psychedelic psychotherapy.
Renee Razzano, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Polaris Insight Center
Joseph McCowan, PsyD
Joseph is a licensed clinical psychologist, currently working in Los Angeles as a therapist and supervisor in the MAPS clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Additionally, Joseph supports the MAPS Therapy Training Program as a training assistant, and supports efforts toward increasing the diversity of therapists and participants in the MAPS clinical studies as part of the MAPS Diversity Working Group. Joseph practices at the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy where he provides ketamine assisted psychotherapy and psychedelic integration therapy. Joseph is trained in multiple other psychedelic assisted therapy approaches including psilocybin-assisted therapy for Depression and 5-MeO-DMT therapy. Joseph is deeply passionate about furthering education and awareness of the healing benefits of psychedelics for communities of color and in working to improve mental health outcomes for historically underserved communities. Joseph received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Joseph McCowan, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
California Center for Psychedelic Therapy
Extra Info

UPCOMING DATES

 

Series 20: 

All modules are held online at 9 am – 5 pm PT (Pacific Time zone)

  • October 10, 2023  (module 1) 
  • November 9, 2023 (module 2)
  • November 10, 2023 (practice module)
  • November 13, 2023 (module 4)
  • December 13, 2023 (module 5)
  • December 18, 2023 (module 3)

Note - the module dates are out of order. The content works fine in this order. 

Select the CE option for 48 hrs credit.

 

 

PREVIOUS DATES

 

Series 19:

  • July 13, 2023 (module 1)
  • August 1, 2023 (module 2)
  • October 2, 2023 (module 3)
  • November 13, 2023 (module 4)
  • December 13, 2023 (module 5)
  • November 10 2023 (practice module)

 

Series 18:

  • April 29, 2023 (module 1)
  • May 9, 2023 (module 2)
  • June 6, 2023 (module 3)
  • July 17, 2023 (module 4)
  • July 26, 2023 (module 5)
  • August 4, 2023 (practice module)

Series 17:

  • March 10, 2023 (module 1)
  • May 9, 2023  (module 2)
  • June 6, 2023  (module 3)
  • July 17, 2023  (module 4)
  • July 26, 2023 (module 5)
  • August 4, 2023 (practice module)

 

Series 16:

  • January 9, 2023 (module 1)
  • January 30, 2023  (module 2)
  • February 9, 2023  (module 3)
  • February 27, 2023  (module 4)
  • March 14, 2023 (module 5)
  • March 24, 2023 (practice module)

 

Series 15:

  • January 9, 2023 (module 1)
  • January 30, 2023  (module 2)
  • February 9, 2023  (module 3)
  • February 27, 2023  (module 4)
  • March 24, 2023 (module 5)

 

Series 14 (Sold out):

  • October 17, 2022 (module 1)
  • October 24, 2022 (module 4)
  • November 14, 2022 (module 2)
  • December 3, 2022 (module 5)
  • December 12, 2022 (module 3)
  • Note - the module dates are out of order. The content works fine in this order. We added these dates to accommodate a new series since the last ones sold out. 

 

Series 13 (Sold out):

  • July 11, 2022 (module 1)
  • August 15, 2022 (module 2)
  • September 26, 2022 (module 3)
  • October 24, 2022 (module 4)
  • December 3, 2022 (module 5)

 

Series 12 (Sold out):

  • April 11, 2022 (module 1)
  • May 16, 2022 (module 2)
  • June 27, 2022 (module 3)
  • August 8, 2022 (module 4)
  • August 19, 2022 (module 5)

 

Series 10 (Sold out):

  • January 15, 2022 (module 1)
  • February 7, 2022 (module 2)
  • March 14, 2022 (module 3)
  • April 8, 2022 (module 4)
  • May 13, 2022 (module 5)

 

Testimonials

After attending this training series I feel competent in my abilities to offer this medicine to Queer and BIPOC clients in need. I really appreciated the cultural sensitivity that was present in this training and open discussions about how this Ketamine work will assist in my ultimate goal of serving marginalized communities!
Courtney Watson, LMFT, CST

I have been very impressed by the Polaris Institute’s Ketamine Training Seminars. The seminars were immensely educational, comprehensive and focused on working with ketamine holistically, as opposed to a strictly medicalized administration. The seminars gave me the confidence to hold ketamine-assisted therapy sessions in my own private practice and help my patients in a truly comprehensive way.
Dr. Priyanka Wali, MD San Francisco, CA

The Polaris training exceeded my hopes and has deepened and energized my work with KAP. Eric, Veronika, and Harvey are practiced and generous presenters, with so much wisdom and experience to offer I expect I could repeat the same module many times and continue to learn. In offering these intermediate level workshops they are providing an invaluable and rare resource to the KAP community.
Colin Reid, LCPC

 

Cancelation Policy

Participants need to cancel up to 2 weeks in advance to receive a 100% refund (minus a $25 admin fee and payment processing fee). If cancelled after the 2-weeks-in-advance period they can use the credit for a future training or receive 50% refund (minus a $25 admin fee and payment processing fee).